Wednesday, June 7, 2023 – Edition: #7490
Sheet Happens!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Prince Harry didn’t hold back during his first day of testimony in London’s High Court, where he trashed the British press as he made his case over years-long alleged privacy breaches. The Duke of Sussex hit the witness box early and read from a 55-page witness statement he’d prepared to discuss the allegations he’s levied against the Daily Mirror — the first tabloid case of his being heard. In the statement, he claims that he “genuinely feels that in every relationship that I’ve ever had—be that with friends, girlfriends, with family or with the army, there’s always been a third party involved, namely the tabloid press.” His case involves 148 articles published between 1996 and 2010. His testimony comes nearly a month after MGN, which owns publications including Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Daily Express, apologized to the Duke of Sussex for a single instance of unlawfully gathering information amid the start of the trial.
-E!
★ Netflix subscribers may want to cover their eyes, because the “Bird Box” sequel is on its way. The streamer has released the teaser for “Bird Box Barcelona”, the follow-up to the 2018 hit, which starred Sandra Bullock and was one of the most-watched movies in Netflix history. Bullock does not star in the new film, which centers around a blindfolded father, played by Mario Casas, as he navigates “his own survival journey through the desolate streets of Barcelona” after “a mysterious force decimates the world’s population,” while protecting his daughter. According to the trailer, the rules of survival remain the same: “Whatever you do, don’t open your eyes.” The movie debuts on July 14. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2bttvrxs
-PopCulture
★ “Bling Empire” star Anna Shay has died at the age of 62 after suffering a stroke. Shay’s family confirmed her passing in a statement, praising her as the “brightest ray of sunshine”, and saying: “Anna taught us many life lessons on how not to take life too seriously and to enjoy the finer things.” Shay was a fan favorite on the Netflix reality show, which premiered in 2021.
-TheWrap
★ A new “Law & Order” spinoff is coming to Canada, Toronto-based network Citytv has announced. “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” will follow an elite squad of detectives who investigate high-profile crime and corruption in the city. It is slated to air next spring. The series will consist of 10 one-hour episodes, with production taking place this fall in Toronto. It will “showcase original Canadian stories written and produced by, and starring, Canadians,” according to Citytv.
-TheWrap
★ Bam Margera is a danger to himself and others, according to the police officers who located him in L.A., and promptly put him on a 5150 psychiatric hold. After tracking his phone, LAPD officers found him Sunday at Trejo’s Tacos — the LA hot-spot owned by Danny Trejo. Reports say they made contact with Margera and found his erratic speech and behavior — combined with recent suicidal threats he’s made – reason enough to call in a psych evaluation team, which determined he needed to be 5150’d. Last week, the former “Jackass” star threatened to smoke crack until he died if he doesn’t get to see his son.
-TMZ
★ The adventures of ‘Jackie Peyton’ and ‘Nancy Botwin’ are set to resume with revivals of “Nurse Jackie” and “Weeds” now in development. Showtime is reportedly planning to bring back 2 of its most successful comedies, following the hit revival of “Dexter”. Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco and Weeds’ Mary-Louise Parker are both expected to return and executive produce the projects. Both projects are being “fast-tracked” to debut in the first quarter of 2024, but those dates could be affected by the writers’ strike.
-PopCulture
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Jennifer Lopez, Chris Perfetti, Fall Out Boy (R)
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Ice T, Stephanie Hsu, Adam Lambert (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Josh Groban, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Laura Benanti (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Ike Barinholtz, Melissa Barrera, Margaret Atwood (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Tamra Judge, Lala Kent
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Elliot Page
• “The Talk” (CBS): Sarah Michelle Gellar, Pat Harvey
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Caitriona Balfe, Young Mazino, Jake Shears
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Ken Jeong, Charlie Day, Alex Cooper (R)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Chris Pratt, Brandon Marshall (R)
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Adam Lambert, Jalyn Hall (R)
• “The Real Housewives of Orange County” (BRAVO): Season 17 premiere
• “Married at First Sight” (LIFETIME): Season 16 finale
• “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (FXX): Season 16 premiere
• “NBA Finals” (Check local listings): Game 3: Denver @ Miami
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – While her fans were still buzzing about the fact that she accidentally swallowed a bug during her Sunday show in Chicago, she unveiled the track list for “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)”. It includes the vault songs ‘When Emma Falls In Love’, ‘I Can See You’, ‘Foolish One’ and ‘Timeless’, plus collabs with Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/fr4dbj9e
• Taylor Swift – More Taylor news: Her whirlwind — and still unconfirmed — romance with The 1975’s Matty Healy has come to an end, according to multiple reports. TMZ was first to report the news, but had no details as to why the two have broken up.
• Lewis Capaldi – is pausing his performance commitments so he can “take a moment to rest and recover.” He said his current tour has taken both a mental and physical toll, writing: “I haven’t been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I’m struggling to get to grips with it all.” He promised to be ready for his appearance at Glastonbury on June 24.
• Semisonic – Not only is the band on its first national tour in over 20 years, supporting Barenaked Ladies, but on Monday, they dropped 2 new songs: ‘Little Bit of Sun’, which has a Tom Petty feel to it, and ‘Grow Your Own’, about the joy of starting up a band. https://tinyurl.com/49kntwec
• Run-D.M.C., Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube – plus more artists will perform to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th birthday. Hip-Hop 50 Live, on Aug. 11 at Yankee Stadium, will also feature performances by Lil Kim, T.I., Fat Joe, Common, A$AP Ferg, EPMD, Ghostface Killah, Lupe Fiasco, Slick Rick and more. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yck9yhb6
• Prince — The demo tape that landed him his first record deal as an 18-year-old is up for auction. RR Auction says it is a “stunning revelation for music enthusiasts”. The ¼” inch reel-to-reel tape recording, made in 1976, contains unreleased versions of the originals ‘Just As Long as We’re Together’, ‘My Love is Forever’ and the never-released ‘Jelly Jam’.
• Luke Combs – His already-massive 2023 World Tour calendar has grown even bigger, with the addition of 4 new stadium dates in July. He has added second nights to his scheduled stops in Tampa, Foxborough MA, and Philadelphia, plus an additional hometown show in Charlotte NC.
• Lainey Wilson – will join Dierks Bentley and Elle King to co-host the CMA Fest summer concert special, airing Wednesday, July 19 on ABC. The 3-hour event will be filmed in Nashville during CMA Fest’s 50th anniversary celebrations this weekend.
• Carly Pearce – officially announced her collab with Chris Stapleton ‘We Don’t Fight Anymore” on Monday. She started teasing her next single last week, with several blurred-out images of the cover art, but several fans correctly unpacked the tease to guess this was coming. The duet from the 2 Kentucky singers will drop June 16. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yw6ecu8r
SHOOTING THE BULL
COUPLES THERAPY:
➢ Sleeping in separate rooms because one partner snores could improve people’s relationships rather than marking the end, a leading sleep scientist has said. Couples moving into separate rooms can enter the “beginning of a new relationship”, where they are well rested and, ideally, happier, more responsive to each other…and less irritable, according to Russell Foster, a professor of circadian neuroscience at the University of Oxford. (Sounds great. Should we also get separate rooms if one partner insists on eating…burritos?)
➢ According to a new study, the secret to a longer, happier marriage may lie in – opening a joint bank account. Study authors at Indiana University found that married couples with consolidated finances argued less about money, felt more confident about household money management, and reported better overall relationship satisfaction. Couples sharing resources also felt more unified and committed to shared goals. (That’s exactly what we did…although I never felt truly happy about it until I changed the password…)
-StudyFinds, TheGuardian
SMART APPLE:
Apple unveiled its new mixed reality headset on Monday at the 2023 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. CEO Tim Cook said the device, which blends virtual reality and augmented reality, is “the first product you look through, not at.” The technology allows users to overlay virtual images on live video of the real world, and could be used to replace computers, televisions and gaming systems. Apple Vision Pro, the company’s biggest and riskiest new hardware launch in years, will cost US$3,499. The company says that once a user puts on the device, they can see apps directly projected in front of them. The device responds to a users’ voice, hands and eyes “as if your mind if guiding the experience.” And interestingly, the mixed reality headset will display the eyes of its users on the outside of the headset, a departure from how other headsets look and function. Apple says that is to allow users to feel like “you’re never isolated from the people around you, you can see them and they can see you.” It’ll be available early next year. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/27yr7dm3
(Then, a new version the next year…then another new version the next year…)
(I’ve already got all the mixed reality I can handle right now. I watch Fox news!)
-CNN
HOLI-DAZE:
As summer holiday season approaches, new research has revealed exactly how much time we waste while on vacation – trying to relax. A OnePoll survey found that for almost half of us (47%), it takes a full 2-3 days to truly relax and unwind on holiday. And you can understand that, because vacation often involves travel, which can be stressful, and adjusting to your surroundings can take some time as well. But in the survey, 39% of people also said that they aren’t able to relax abroad because they’re still distracted by their lives at home. 30% worry about the work that they’ve left behind and 29% are concerned about the work waiting for them when they return. In addition, 11% of us suffer from pet separation anxiety while we’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves. While 30% of travellers said they are able to switch into holiday mode once they’ve arrived at their destination, for others, it happens sooner, with 16% of people saying they feel it once they put on their “out of office” notifications, and for 12%, it happens when they finish packing.
(That’s not the only time wasted while on vacation…but, hey, those selfies aren’t going to take themselves!)
(Me? I also pretty much waste the 3 weeks beforehand — daydreaming about being on vacation!)
-HuffPost
10 CLASSIC ALBUMS TURNING 50 THIS YEAR:
(listed alphabetically…)
• Aerosmith – “Aerosmith”: Highlights include ‘Dream On’, ‘Mama Kin’, ‘Somebody’
• David Bowie – “Aladdin Sane”: ‘The Jean Genie’, ‘Drive-In Saturday’, ‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’
• Eagles – “Desperado”: ‘Desperado’, ‘Tequila Sunrise’, ‘Doolin’ Dalton’
• Billy Joel – “Piano Man”: ‘Piano Man’, ‘Captain Jack’, ‘The Ballad of Billy the Kid’
• Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”: ‘Candle in the Wind’, ‘Bennie and the Jets’, ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’
• Pink Floyd – “The Dark Side of the Moon”: ‘Money’, ‘Time’, ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’
• Queen – “Queen”: ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, ‘Liar’, ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’
• Bruce Springsteen – “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.”: ‘Blinded by the Light’, ‘Spirit in the Night’, ‘It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City
• The Who – “Quadrophenia – ‘Love Reign O’er Me’, ‘The Real Me’, ‘5.15’
• Wings – “Band on the Run”: ‘Band on the Run’, ‘Jet’, ‘Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five’
-AmericanSongwriter
WORLD’S 10 MOST DANGEROUS ANIMALS:
10. Lions: Kill 200 humans per year.
9. Hippos: Kill 500 humans per year. (Imagine if they ate meat!)
8. Elephants: Kill 600 humans per year.
7. Crocodiles: Kill 1,000 humans per year.
6. Scorpions: Kill 3,300 humans per year.
5. Assassin bugs: Kill 10,000 humans per year — mostly through Chagas disease.
4. Dogs: Kill 59,000 per year — mostly through rabies.
3. Snakes: Kill 138,000 humans per year.
2. Humans: Kill 400,000 humans per year – through homicide alone.
1. Mosquitos: Kill 725,000 humans per year – mostly through diseases such as malaria.
-BBC
DID YOU KNOW?
It’s best not to try using ChatGPT to do your homework for you. A student named Arjun was allegedly busted for using the artificial-intelligence technology on his schoolwork. Roshan Patel tweeted about the incident, along with a photo of the assignment, writing: “My little cousin Arjun got caught using ChatGPT on his 7th grade English homework.” In the pic of the student’s supposed work, the line, “As an AI language model, I don’t have personal expectations or opinions,” is highlighted in yellow. It appears that Arjun had copied what the chatbot said, verbatim. The word “poignant” was also highlighted — a word that is probably not in every preteen’s vocabulary. The viral tweet has since racked up more than 1.2 million views and 4,755 likes. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3kkxk5je
-NYPost
BS CHRONOMETER 06.07.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Chocolate Ice Cream Day”, celebrating one of the most popular flavors, but not THE most popular. That honor still goes to vanilla, favorite of 29%. Chocolate is runner-up at 9%.
• “VCR Day”, honoring the TV video recorder, introduced on this day in 1975 (The “Sony Betamax”). Not many homes still have one hidden away in a closet or basement anymore. But how many of us still have VHS tapes – and nothing to play them on?
• “National CAPHPACH Day”, also known as National Citizens Against Police Harassment, Police Against Citizen Harassment Day. The day is for “promoting mutual respect between police and citizens”. (What a concept!)
• “Daniel Boone Day”, On June 7, 1769, frontiersman Daniel Boone first saw the forests and valleys of present-day Kentucky. He is largely credited with exploration and settlement of that state. Contrary to the coonskin cap-wearing stereotype, Boone preferred a felt hat.
• “June Bug Day”, a member of the Phyllophaga genus, which consists of over 260 species of scarab beetles, which tend to be most visibly active in June. That’s when they emerge from the ground to search for food and a mate. They may have been in the ground as larvae for up to 3 years.
• “Global Running Day”, a worldwide celebration of running that encourages people of all ages and abilities to get moving. LINK: https://globalrunningday.org/
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Upsy Daisy Day
[Thurs] Name Your Poison Day
[Fri] Marriage Day
[Sat] Iced Tea Day
This Week is…Teacher Thank You Week
This Month is…Country Cooking Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [83] Tom Jones, Treforest Wales, pop singer (‘It’s Not Unusual’, ‘What’s New Pussycat’, Art of Noise ft. Tom Jones-‘Kiss’)
1952 [71] Liam Neeson, Ballymena Northern Ireland, movie actor (“Taken” movies, “Schindler’s List”) COMING UP…“Retribution”
1956 [67] “LA” (Antonio) Reid, Cincinnati OH, record executive-producer (Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Pink, Rihanna, Usher, etc.)/TV personality (“The X Factor” 2011-13)
1967 [56] Dave Navarro, Santa Monica CA, rock guitarist (Jane’s Addiction-‘Been Caught Stealing’, Red Hot Chili Peppers-‘Aeroplane’)/married to Carmen Electra 2003-07
1974 [49] (Edward) “Bear” Grylls, Donaghadee Northern Ireland, TV personality (“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” since 2014, “Man vs Wild” 2006-11)
1978 [45] Bill Hader, Tulsa OK, movie actor (“Superbad”, “Trainwreck”)/TV comedian (“Saturday Night Live” 2005-13)/TV actor-director (“Barry” 2018-23)
1988 [35] Michael Cera, Brampton ON, movie actor (“Superbad”, “Juno”)/TV actor (“Arrested Development” 2003-06, 2013) COMING UP…“Barbie”, July 21, 2023
1990 [33] Iggy Azalea (Amethyst Kelly), Sydney Australia, rapper (w/Ariana Grande-‘Problem’, f/Charli XCX-‘Fancy’)
1991 [33] Fetty Wap (Willie Maxwell II), Paterson NJ, currently-incarcerated rapper (f/Remy Boyz-‘679′, ‘Trap Queen’)
1991 [32] Emily Ratajkowski, London England, model-movie actress (“Gone Girl”, “Entourage”)
1993 [30] George Ezra (Barnett), Hertford England, folk pop singer-songwriter (‘Budapest’, ‘Paradise’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2014 [09] Comedian Tracy Morgan is hospitalized in critical condition after his limo bus is hit by a speeding semi; fellow comedian James McNair does not survive
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1993 [30] Prince celebrates his 35th birthday by changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol as a protest over his recording contract (for several years he is referred to as “the artist formerly known as Prince”)
2004 [19] AC/DC’s “Back in Black” goes Double Diamond, becoming just the 6th album with certified sales of over 20 million in the US. In November, Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” becomes the 7th. Both albums were produced by Mutt Lange
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1993 [30] The ground-breaking ceremony for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is attended by Billy Joel, Chuck Berry, and The Who’s Pete Townshend, among others
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Paris has about 40,000 restaurants. New York has 26,000. Tokyo? 160,000.
✓ About half the calories in the average fast-food meal come from fat.
✓ An average serving of movie theater popcorn is equivalent to two Big Macs, in terms of calories, saturated fat, and sodium.
✓ Giraffes’ tongues are black and purple to prevent sunburn while they’re feeding.
✓ Kangaroos keep growing until they die.
✓ GPS tracking doesn’t work by the satellite tracking the object, but the object tracking the satellite.
-FactSlides, BoredPanda
Best of BS . . .
BS SIGNS YOU STREAM TOO MUCH TV:
• You’re trying to enjoy a lazy Saturday afternoon until someone informs you that it’s Wednesday.
• You ask your wife what season your marriage is on.
• Netflix never even bothers to ask “Are you still watching?” anymore.
• You’ve run out of episodes of “The Office” that you haven’t seen 3 times.
• You’ve forgotten your favorite show’s theme song because you’ve skipped it so many times.
• Netflix actually sends someone over to see if you’re still watching.
• You knew who Meghan Markle was before she married Harry.
• Forget streaming…your family says that you ‘river’ TV.
• You refer to your kids as your ‘originals’.
• Netflix asks YOU for recommendations.
• (Breaks bottle) I’ll tell YOU when I’ve streamed too much!
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
MORE BS QUESTIONS PLAGUING HUMANITY:
• They say hard work never killed anybody, but did you ever know anyone who rested to death?
• Why is it called ‘after dark’ when it’s really ‘after light’?
• If a husband speaks in the forest and there is no wife around to hear him, is he still wrong?
• If money doesn’t grow on trees then why do banks have branches?
• How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
• If a pizza joint only sells slices, is there a guy in the back tossing triangles in the air?
• If there was a ‘Bi-Sexual Pride Parade’, would it go both ways?
• If you’re in hell with someone and you’re still mad at them, where do you tell them to go?
• How come you see an awful lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy?
-First published in BS in 2019
BS WEB GOODIE:
Busted (sound up): https://tinyurl.com/9p3ejv2y
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Insanity runs in my family. Actually, it practically gallops.
BS THREEZER:
(Give contestant the clues, they tell you what all 3 have in common…)
• High, Uneven, Parallel
Answer: Bars in Gymnastics
• A loaf of bread, A golf ball, A pie
Answer: They’re all sliced
• The Postman, JFK, Robin Hood
Answer: Movies starring Kevin Costner
-TriBond
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever eaten?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Parents report that their kids do THIS 50% more in the summer. What is it?
Answer: Eat junk food
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.
