Wednesday, January 4, 2023 – Edition: #7388

The BS Press!

 

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ The first round of presenters for the 80th Golden Globe Awards has been announced, with Ana De Armas, Ana Gasteyer, Billy Porter, Colman Domingo, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Natasha Lyonne, Nicole Byer, Niecy Nash, Quentin Tarantino and Tracy Morgan set to hand out trophies. The Jan. 10 ceremony marks a return of the Golden Globes after several years of scandal and controversy over corruption and a lack of diverse voter membership, which led to the suspension of the 2022 telecast. As previously announced, Eddie Murphy will be on hand to receive the 2023 Cecil B. DeMille award, while Ryan Murphy will receive the Carol Burnett Award.
-TheWrap
★ Al Roker will be back on the “Today” show Friday for his first in-studio appearance in 2 months, since blood clots in his leg and lungs sent him to hospital. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin announced the happy news on Tuesday’s episode of the NBC morning show. Kotb said: “He’ll be here Friday. He’ll be right here in Studio 1A . This is his place. He’ll be in his seat, right where he belongs. I cannot wait for that.” And Guthrie noted that the show is “not the same without Al.” 68-year-old Roker has been a staple on Today since 1996.
-People
★ Robin Roberts plans to tie the knot with her longtime partner Amber Laign in 2023. While talking to motivational speaker and author, Gabby Bernstein, Roberts revealed that wedding bells were on the horizon. The “Good Morning America” host, who has been dating Laign since 2005, shared when asked what she’ll be saying “yes” to in the new year, “I’m hesitating because I haven’t said it out loud yet… I’m saying ‘yes’ to marriage.” It is something that they had put off due to Laign’s battle with breast cancer, but now, they’re saying “yes to that, and that next chapter”.
-ETCanada
★ “The X Factor” might get another chance with a new network. More than nine years after the American version of the hit reality competition series was canceled by Fox after just 3 seasons, it may be coming back the US television, with creator and judge Simon Cowell recently revealing that he is in talks with NBC to revive The X Factor. The deal is by no means done, but if it happens, it will likely fall under Cowell’s expanded deal with NBCUniversal.
-PopCulture
★ The status of HBO’s burgeoning ‘Westero’s franchise is even more uncertain after George R.R. Martin’s latest blog post. The author behind “A Game of Thrones” posted a long update, touching on many of his current projects. In the process, he revealed that “a couple” of the Game of Thrones spinoff shows “have been shelved.” HBO has been developing prequels, sequels and spinoffs of Game of Thrones for years, and several of them were dropped before House of the Dragon aired in the fall. Martin says he’s still working on “several of the successor shows” and although some are now off the table, “You can take something off the shelf as easily as you can put it on the shelf.”
-PopCulture
★ Oprah Winfrey capped off 2022 with a 10-mile hike and a celebratory loaf of her favorite thing: bread. The queen of all media chronicled the expedition she dubbed a “gratitude hike,” with friends, including “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King, in a series of Instagram videos. In them, Oprah wears a bubble-gum pink tracksuit and hiking gear as she marches up hilly terrain, and says: “A year ago, I had knee surgery…I couldn’t walk, period…So I am an ad for new knees.”
-NYPost

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Anna Kendrick, Jermaine Fowler, Sabrina Carpenter
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Winston Duke, Darren Aronofsky, Emma Myers, Idles
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Shania Twain, Ayo Edebiri
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Brendan Fraser, Patti LuPone, Maya Stepansky
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Kal Penn, Melissa Fumero (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Whitney Rose, Julia Fox
• The View” (ABC/CTV): Winston Duke
• “The Talk”(CBS): Giancarlo Esposito
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Winston Duke, Carson Kressley, Dr. Gregory Scott Brown
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Alexandra Daddario, Justin Guarini, Tauren Wells
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Joe Isidori, Kristina Zias
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche
• “Tough as Nails” (CBS): Season 4 premiere. Phil Keoghan welcomes 12 new crew members to Catalina Island, where they must build a concrete retaining wall for their first competition.
• “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” (Fox): Series premiere. 16 household names arrive in the desert, set to endure some of the harshest challenges from the actual Special Forces selection process.
• “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (ABC): Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Chris Perfetti

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – There are rumors that she is planning to get “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” ready for release before “The Eras Tour” begins in March. One media report quotes an insider as saying she “has quietly been in the studio working on her new versions of both ‘Speak Now’ and ‘1989’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/tnf67bjc
• The Weeknd – On New Year’s Eve ‘Binding Lights’ became Spotify’s most-streamed song of all time. At last check, the song had more than 3.332 billion streams on the platform, overtaking Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mv68avwf
• Celine Dion – Many on social media are calling out what they consider to be a ‘Titanic mistake’ – Rolling Stone leaving her off its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Other notables who didn’t make it: Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Sting. The publication introduced its list with the words: “Before you start scrolling (and commenting), keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List. Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent.” (***See “Greatest Singers of All Time”, below***)
• Moby – New Year’s Day, he dropped the new album “Ambient 23”, which he says is “made to help anxiety (my own, and hopefully yours, too)” The 16-song set is made using “old drum machines and old Synths”, and was inspired by his early ambient heroes, including Martyn Ware, Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Will Sergeant. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3a7frnbn
• Billy Idol — will be honored with the 2,743rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’ll be awarded the first star of the new year at a dedication ceremony tomorrow, which will be streamed at www.walkoffame.com
• Old Dominion – It was Kenny Chesney who gave them the name for their “No Bad Vibes Tour”, which kicks off Jan. 19 in Evansville IN. The band used the phrase in the lyrics for their song ‘No Hard Feelings’, and sells flags that read “No Bad Vibes”, but hadn’t thought of calling the tour that until Chesney offered up the name when Old Dominion was opening for him last year. The band all agreed the name is perfect.
***(CAUTION: Language***) • Lainey Wilson – came up with the perfect New Year’s resolution after her rear end went viral on TikTok. After pointing out that she can no longer scroll through TikTok without seeing her “fat butt on everything”, she tweeted: “This year’s resolution is going to be to maintain my big ass so more people can kiss it” (Laugh-cry emoji) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mr42zunp
• Dolly Parton – doesn’t bother with New Year’s resolutions – and for good reason. Quote: “It’s always the same thing: I’m gonna exercise more this year, I’m gonna eat better. And that lasts for a couple of weeks, and then I’m right back where I started. So, I don’t make ’em ’cause I always break ’em.”

SHOOTING THE BULL

ALL THIS AND A BAG OF CHIPS:
You know that old cliché about not being able to eat just one potato chip? Well, it turns out that’s an actual thing – and it may be imbedded in your DNA. Researchers at Japan’s Osaka Metropolitan University say they’ve uncovered a gene that has a strong correlation to obesity prevention. It helps you to stop yourself before you overeat, especially greasy junk foods. The “put-the-fork-down gene” is called CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1, or CRTC1. That gene was studied in mice to observe how it affects eating habits. Mice bred to have that gene deleted — and put on a high-fat diet — tended to develop diabetes and gain more weight than the control mice. So, if you find you can’t stop eating junk food, just blame it on your genes. The scientists say they hope their discovery will lead to a better understanding of what causes people to overeat.
(I have absolutely no problem resisting potato chips after eating just one…provided the pizza arrives…!)
(But we already KNOW what causes people to overeat . . . potato chips!)
-NYPost

DOGGY TALES:
➢ So you’re heading out of your home for a few hours. Do you pat your dog on the head, give him a little kiss and tell him to be good, or try to sneak out, so he might not notice you’re gone? A new study from researchers in Italy, says that dogs have an easier time emotionally when we give them an affectionate, gentle petting before leaving. The researchers conducted experiments with 10 healthy dogs without unusual attachment issues. They found that when dogs had been petted, they exhibited a more relaxed demeanor during the separation, and their stress levels remained unchanged. (Hey! This article was written by a dog!)
➢ After decades of research into man’s best friend, scientists have concluded that the tail cannot, in fact, wag the dog. An international team decided to investigate the purpose of the dog’s tail after studies showed that numerous animals from lizards to squirrels use their tails to pull off impressive manoeuvres, such as righting themselves mid-air when falling from trees. The researchers’ work showed that dogs’ tails are not as critical for agile movements as they are for other animals. Moving the tail mid-jump was found to change the dog’s trajectory by a mere fraction of a degree. The scientists say this indicates that for a dog, the tail is mainly utilized for communication and pest control. (And in the case of a happy Labrador, to maim small children!)
-BigThink, TheGuardian

STAGNANT STAGS:
Do you know anyone who is getting married in 2023? Well, if you’re invited to a bachelor party, make sure you show up: a survey says that 2 in 5 people think bachelor or bachelorette parties are more memorable than the wedding itself (42%). Now for the wholesome part: The poll of 2,000 adults in the US regarding the traditions involved with the “final night of freedom” reports that people think bachelor and bachelorette parties are more fun (58%) and memorable (44%), than raunchy (13%) or cheesy (12%). And a third of respondents are over going to gentlemen’s clubs (34%) – especially women (42% vs. 25% of men). Many are also ready to stop having explicit-themed items (29%) or visiting a casino (22%), calling these traditions “tacky.” The OnePoll survey found that while bachelor and bachelorette parties may invoke images of partying and chaos, 65% believe they should be an opportunity for the groom or bride to relax — and that the guests should cover all expenses for the party (55%). The best place for a wedding pre-party? An all-inclusive resort.
(The second-best place? Anywhere the other half of the couple ISN’T!)
(A bachelor party may be “memorable”, but if you remember it, you probably didn’t have a good time!)
-StudyFinds

GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME:
(According to Variety…)
1. Psycho (1960)
2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. Citizen Kane (1941)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Seven Samurai (1954)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
8. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
9. All About Eve (1950)
10. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
(Phew! After my first glance at this list, I’m glad at least a few of them are in color!)
-Variety

GREATEST SINGERS OF ALL TIME:
(According to Rolling Stone’s new “200 Greatest Singers” list…)
1. Aretha Franklin
2. Whitney Houston
3. Sam Cooke
4. Billie Holiday
5. Mariah Carey
6. Ray Charles
7. Stevie Wonder
8. Beyoncé
9. Otis Redding
10. Al Green
(For what it’s worth, Freddie Mercury is #14. And Elvis is #17. Adele is #22. And Sinatra came in at #20. Oh, yeah – and Bob Dylan? He’s the #15 “greatest singer”. Pretty much where you expected, right?)
-RollingStone

DID YOU KNOW?
Bad news if you’re one of the millions who can’t fall asleep without the TV on. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that those who sleep with artificial lights (including the TV) are at increased risk of weight gain and obesity. The study, conducted on 44,000 adult women, found that those who sleep with lights on are also “more likely to have less sleep, take a longer time to fall asleep, wake up at night, and take naps.” Even those who sleep with a night light on had increased body weight (of roughly 11 pounds, or 5kg), and experienced a 10% or more increase in BMI.
-HouseBeautiful

BS CHRONOMETER 01.04.23

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Spaghetti Day”, celebrating the Italian pasta dish that almost everyone loves. Marco Polo brought the recipe for pasta back to Europe with him after his famous trip to China in the 13th century.
• “Trivia Day”, honoring those with ‘doctorates in uselessology’.
BS TRIVIA DAY QUIZ, COURTESY OF “TRIVIA CRACK”:
⇒ Who uttered the famous salute “Live Long and Prosper”? (“Star Trek’s” ‘Spock’)
⇒ Who wrote the French romantic novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”? (Victor Hugo)
⇒ What famous phrase is Marie Antoinette known for? (“Let them eat cake”)
⇒ In the sport of bull riding, which hand do you ride with? (Either)
⇒ A group of porcupines is known as what? (A ‘prickle’)
• “World Braille Day”, observed on the anniversary of the 1809 birth of Louis Braille in France. In 1829, he published “Method of Writing Words, Music & Plain Song by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind”. Today, the ‘Braille method’ is used in virtually every language as the standard form of reading and writing by those with vision-loss.
• “World Hypnotism Day”, to correct the myths and misconceptions about hypnotism and promote the truth and benefits of the process that helps many put aside fears, and change what they believed was unchangeable. (Not to mention bark like a dog…) LINK: http://www.worldhypnotismday.com
• “Tom Thumb Day”, commemorating the legacy of Charles Sherwood Stratton, the greatest actor of his time. Under his stage name “Tom Thumb”, he achieved global acclaim under the patronage of his mentor and adoptee, circus pioneer P. T. Barnum. Stratton, a dwarf, evaded the stigma that came with his condition and took his talent all the way to the courtyard of Queen Victoria.

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Whipped Cream Day
[Thurs] Keto Day
[Fri] Cuddle Up Day
[Sat] Pass Gas Day
This Week is…New Year’s Resolutions Week
This Month is…Brain Teaser Month

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [69] Tina Knowles, Galveston TX, fashion designer (known for her House of Dereon and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles brands)/mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles

1957 [66] Patty Loveless (Ramey), Pikeville KY, country singer (‘Blame it on Your Heart’, ‘Lonely Too Long’)

1960 [63] Michael Stipe, Decatur GA, rock singer-songwriter (R.E.M.-‘The One I Love’, ‘Losing My Religion’)

1963 [60] Dave Foley, Etobicoke ON, actor-comedian (“The Kids In The Hall” 1988-95, 2022, “NewsRadio” 1995-99, “Hot in Cleveland” 2010-15)

1965 [58] Julia Ormond, Epsom England, movie actress (“Legends of the Fall”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”)/TV actress (“Mad Men” 2013-15)

1966 [57] Deana Carter, Nashville TN, country singer (‘How Do I Get There’, ‘Strawberry Wine’)

1989 [34] Michelle Mylett, Ladysmith BC, TV actress (‘Katie’ on “Letterkenny” since 2016)

1991 [32] Charles Melton, Juneau AK, TV actor (‘Reggie’ on “Riverdale” since 2017)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1984 [39] “Night Court” starring Harry Anderson, Markie Post and John Larroquette, premieres on NBC

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2009 [14] Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant is voted the ‘Greatest Voice in Rock’ by the readers of New Music Express, followed by Queen’s Freddie Mercury, and Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company

2012 [11] 66-year-old Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry marries 29-year-old Amanda Sheppard, who briefly dated Ferry’s son

2020 [03] Mariah Carey becomes the first artist to top the Hot 100 in 4 different decades when ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ stays at #1 for a third week

TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1863 [160] 4-wheeled roller skates are patented by James Plimpton of NY

1996 [27] The first ‘Live Rock Concert on the Internet’ features Deborah Harry, Joan Jett, Joey Ramone and The Lunachicks

TODAY’S RECORDS . . .
1975 [48] Ice thickness is measured at 4776m, at Wilkes Land, Antarctica

2010 [13] The Burj Khalifa, ‘World’s Tallest Building’ (828 m or 2,717 ft), is officially opened in Dubai UAE

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ In their lifetime, most people spend an average of one entire year sitting on the toilet.
✓ Your fingernails grow faster when you are cold.
✓ Only 45% of the London Underground is actually underground.
✓ People whose names start with ‘A’ have the longest life expectancy.
✓ Medical errors are the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.
✓ Attics were invented in Attica.
-WhattheFFacts, KidsActivities, TheFactSite

Best of BS . . .
BS ODD CALENDAR THEMES:
• People of Walmart
• Former Trump administration staff
• Nuns having fun
• Pictures of last year’s calendars
• Skin disease of the month
• Mugshots
• Plumber’s cracks
• People who “can’t even”
• Nick Cannon’s child of the month
• Doomsday countdown
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018

MORE BS QUESTIONS PLAGUING HUMANITY:
• Are children who act in rated ‘R’ movies allowed to see them?
• Are eyebrows considered facial hair?
• Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?
• Can crop circles be square?
• Can you cry under water?
• Can you daydream at night?
• Can you “stare off into space” when you’re in space?
• Can you still say “Put it where the sun don’t shine ” on a nude beach?
• Did Noah have woodpeckers on the ark? And if he did, where did he keep them?
-YouCanBeFunny, first published in BS in 2018

BS U-PICK TRIVIA (2022 IN REVIEW EDITION):
• After slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards ceremony, for what film did Will Smith win the ‘Best Actor’ Oscar?
a) Don’t Look Up
b) King Richard [CORRECT]
c) The Power of the Dog
d) The Karate Kid

• Who won Super Bowl 56 back in February?
a) Cincinnati Bengals
b) Green Bay Packers
c) LA Rams [CORRECT]
d) Baltimore Orioles

• Beyoncé released her critically-acclaimed album “Renaissance” in 2022. On the cover, what is she shown sitting on?
a) A motorcycle
b) A horse [CORRECT]
c) A tank
d) A La-Z-Boy recliner
-JoeQuiz

BS WEB GOODIE:
Not sure I’d advise him to keep doing this:   https://tinyurl.com/4mkn223c

BS RANDOM JOKE:
My dog will eat absolutely anything – until you put a pill in it, and then he’s all Gordon Ramsay.

BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s one thing that you know for sure that you’ll never do again?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  18% of people admit they’ve done THIS purely to come across as more intelligent. What is it?
Answer:  Displayed books in their home or office

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost.