Monday, October 30, 2023 — Edition: #7585

The BS Press!

 

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is paying tribute to his former classmate, “Friends” star Matthew Perry, who died Saturday at 54 after an apparent drowning. On X, Trudeau called his death “shocking and saddening”, and wrote that he’ll “never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them.” Perry, whose mother, Suzanne Morrison, was press secretary to Trudeau’s father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, went to elementary school with Justin. Perry, who was best known for playing ‘Chandler Bing’ on Friends, was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles-area home on Saturday.
-People
★ Timothée Chalamet will make his second stint as host of “Saturday Night Live” on November 11, with musical guest Boygenius. With “Dune 2”, delayed to March 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Chalamet’s next movie is “Wonka”, opening Dec. 8. It’s is unclear whether the strike will be over by Nov. 11, which would allow Chalamet to promote his new movie on SNL. He made his Saturday Night Live hosting debut on December 12, 2020.
-Deadline
★ Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper are among the celebs who have added their signatures to an open letter asking President Biden to call for an end to the violence in Israel and Gaza. The letter reads, in part: “We ask that, as President of the United States, you call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost…We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.” Dua Lipa, Tessa Thompson, Rachel McAdams, Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, Rachel McAdams, and Kirsten Dunst have also signed the letter, which was published under the name Artists 4 Ceasefire.
-Messenger
★ Once upon a time, the Halloween box office belonged to Freddy Krueger. Now it belongs to ‘Freddy Fazbear’, as “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is estimated to have netted a $78 million opening. If projections held, that means the movie will have set a new record for the highest weekend total posted by a film on Halloween weekend, currently held by 2004’s “The Grudge”. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” took the #2 spot, with $15 million in its second weekend, passing the $150 million mark domestically.
-TheWrap
★ Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have teamed up with Homes For Our Troops for this year’s online auction raising funds for injured vets. So, if you’ve ever wanted to play golf with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, Zoom with Bryan Cranston or visit Ben Stiller on a Hollywood set, here’s your chance. You could also grab lunch in NYC with Lou Diamond Phillips, have Michael Connelly write your name in his next novel or get tickets to Adam Sandler’s show and meet him. Hollywood memorabilia being auctioned for the cause includes a Bon Jovi autographed guitar, A Mark Hamil-signed Luke Skywalker figurine and a Chris Evans personalized video message — with an autographed ‘Captain America’ shield and movie poster. This is the 7th year of the Veterans Day Celebrity Auction, and bidding starts this Friday. LINK: https://www.ebay.com/e/charity/homes-for-our-troops
-TMZ
★ Disney’s going back to the drawing board for its “Snow White” reboot. The company has just delayed its release by a year, and is now promising to use actual dwarves — albeit fake ones. Instead of coming out in March, the Snow White live-action film is now slated for Spring 2025. The first official publicity pic Disney released amid the delay news shows star Rachel Zegler surrounded by the Seven Dwarfs – all of them completely animated with CGI — and they’re ‘little’, just like in the original film. Earlier this year, leaked set photos showed 6 actors of typical height depicting the dwarves, and only 1 little person — a decision that caused a firestorm online.
-TMZ

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global):  Sean “Diddy” Combs, Pete Holmes, Jessie Murph, Jelly Roll
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Michael Shannon, Annaleigh Ashford, Jesus Trejo
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Henry Winkler, Melissa Etheridge
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): David Duchovny, Reneé Rapp
• “The Daily Show (COM): Guest Host Charlamagne Tha God
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Henry Winkler
• “The Talk” (CBS): Lisa Rinna, Sabrina Soto
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Gizelle Bryant, Paul Russell
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Theresa Caputo
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Chris Hardwick, Carly Pearce
• “Halloween Baking Championship” (Food): John Henson commemorates the lost souls at Henson & Sons Carnival with flourless desserts, the bakers craft new carnival attractions for the grand re-opening.
• “The Voice” (NBC): The Battles Part 4
• “2023 World Series” (Check local listings): Game 3: Texas Rangers @ Arizona Diamondbacks

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – is a billionaire. Her net worth has been pegged at $1.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, thanks to her record-breaking Eras tour. Bloomberg said Swift is one of the few entertainers to reach billionaire status based on just her music and performance. (…now $1.2 billion…now $1.3 billion…)
• Dua Lipa — is keeping fans on the edge of their seats with her impending new album announcement. After first deleting her comeback post on Instagram last week, she returned with a cryptic new photo – a closeup of her lips, smiling as she holds a gold key between her teeth. The caption: “catch me or I go…” That one, too, has since been deleted.
• Billy Idol – has his own concert coming to the big screen. Earlier this year, he played an intimate show for 250 fans at the American landmark, the Hoover Dam. The resulting video for the $1,200 per ticket show, “Billy Idol: State Line”, will hit theaters Nov. 15. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5bk7fz74
• The White Stripes – Their ‘Seven Nation Army’ tops a list of Spotify’s top songs used for workout playlists. The 2003 hit is described in the study as “the crown jewel of workout anthems.” The rest of the top 5, in order: ‘It’s My Life’-Bon Jovi, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’-Guns N’ Roses, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’-Nirvana, and ‘In the End’-Linkin Park.
• The Beatles – In addition to the fact that their “last ever” song ‘Now and Then’ will arrive on Thursday, a short documentary about the making of the song will be released on Wed., plus a music video by director Peter Jackson on Nov. 3. In addition, expanded editions of the group’s career-spanning compilations 1962-1966 (“The Red Album”) and 1967-1970 (“The Blue Album”), will arrive on Nov. 10. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4ahjat8u
• Margan Wallen – is the leading male artist for this year’s Billboard Music Awards, with 17 nominations. Zach Bryan has 14 for the Nov 19 ceremony. 3 of the 5 Best New Artist finalists are country: Bryan, Bailey Zimmerman and Jelly Roll. And, as you might expect, Taylor Swift has 20 noms.
• Lady A – Friday, they dropped the new single ‘A Love Song’. It’s the latest preview from the trio’s as-yet-untitled upcoming album. They also have an Opry Christmas Show scheduled for Dec. 11. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3srb272n
• Dax – The Canadian-born Nigerian artist has released a reimagined version of his hit ‘To Be A Man’, with help from Darius Rucker on the country crossover remix. The song follows Dax’s breakout viral hit, ‘Dear Alcohol’, which spawned a now Platinum-certified re-mix with Elle King. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/nhay8bh4

SHOOTING THE BULL

SUNDAY MERRIES:
Did you have a good weekend? Get lots of “stuff done”? The good news is this: According to a survey, the traditional dread associated with the end of the weekend — the “Sunday Scaries,” might be fading away. A recent poll of 2,000 US adults found that 88% of people actually enjoy getting tasks done on Sundays. 64% said that getting early start on Sunday clears the path for a successful day. When participants were asked for their definition of a “productive day,” the thought of completing their to-do lists came first (36%), while others looked to spending quality time with loved ones (29%). Others said a successful day involved meal prepping (28%), running errands (28%), or just getting rest (17%). And even better: for two-thirds of us, accomplishing just one task is enough to consider it a productive day.
(Same with Mondays, as far as I’m concerned…)
(If accomplishing “rest” makes a day “productive”, I must have the most ambitious teenagers in town!
-StudyFinds

FLORIDA GAMES, MAN:
It’s the Olympics – Florida-style! A unique competition set to begin next year will pit beer-loving and gator-wrestling-types against one another in what is being called “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth.” “The Florida Man Games” (it’s trademarked!) will feature 9 ‘down home’ competitions – inspired by all those “Florida Man” headlines we’ve seen from the Sunshine State involving guns, crime, drugs, booze and reptiles — or all of the above. For instance: The “evading arrest obstacle course” in which players jump over fences, through backyards, and try to escape from actual police officers. Or the “Category 5 Cash Grab” where participants try to grab as much money as possible in a wind-booth. Of course, anything called The Florida Games is going to have a mullet contest – and beer belly “Sumo” wrestling. The evening will finish off with police and firefighters battling it out in a “911 Fight Night, Brawl of the Badges.” And attendees will be able to take selfies with alligators, take part in a barbeque contest, and experience other “cultural demonstrations.” LINK: https://www.thefloridamangames.com/
(Hey! I’ve got a few neighbors I’d like to nominate to represent [***this location***]!)
(The competition is set for February in St. Augustine…but you’ll be able to see pretty much the same thing if you fly to Florida any time…!)
-NYPost, CTV

NEW GOOD NEWS:
➢ Researchers have found the closest thing to an ‘off-switch’ for cancer: a specific protein section that has the ability to trigger the death of a cancer cell. A team from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in California identified an epitope on a CD95 cell receptor that is able to start a chain reaction that instructs cells to essentially self-destruct, something researchers believe could be used to develop new therapeutics to stop cancer cells in their tracks.
➢ A man drove 1,600 miles (2575km) to thank the guy who found his wedding ring. After Stephane Seguin lost the ring while swimming on a trip to St Augustine, Florida, he spotted metal detectorist Joseph Cook searching the sands — and asked him to keep an eye-out for his ring. Little did he know that after returning home to Quebec with his wife, Joseph returned to the spot every day for over a month—and eventually his detector started beeping. As soon as he gets a beep, he starts recording video and uploads his finds to his social media pages. He had told the couple to follow him on his socials, and if he found the keepsake, he’d return it. They spotted his video, sent a pic of Stephane wearing the ring to prove it was theirs, then travelled 1,600 miles to collect the ring and thank Joseph in person. Although Joseph wouldn’t accept a reward, the thrilled couple brought him some gift baskets, took him out for dinner, and gifted him with a ring of his own. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/54z283te
-CTV, GoodNewsNetwork

TRICK-OR-TWEET: 
⇒ A young lad knocked on my door (last year) and said, “Trick or Treat?” I said, “What have you come as?” He said, “A werewolf.” I said, “but you haven’t got a costume on, you’re just in normal clothes.” He said, “Well it’s not a full moon, is it?” – Bear
⇒ I for one would like to give a shout-out to the five year old who, rather than saying “trick or treat,” went with the more direct “I need candy.” – Daniel W. Drezner
⇒ Kid came to my house, maybe 10 yrs old, to trick or treat. He didn’t have a bag. Me: Do you need me to get you a bag for your candy? Superman: Nope, I’m eating as I go. – LoveAndyC
⇒ My daughter knocked and said “trick or treat” to my husband through the bathroom door. I think it’s going to be a trick. – Jennifer S. White
⇒ SON: trick or treat! ME: what do you say? SON: thank you! ME: *whispering* no, that’s for full sized candy bars. he gave you smarties. SON: oh *turns to door* who hurt you? – The Dad
⇒ My financial goal? To become a “full size candy bar” house on the Trick or Treat circuit. – Shannon
⇒ Last year I opened the door to a kid doing ‘trick or treat’ in a Gloria Gaynor mask! At first I was afraid… – The Dad Joke Man
⇒ If you don’t take a parent tax off your kids’ candy they got from trick or treating, did they really trick or treat? – Saint Vivica
-HuffPost

DID YOU KNOW?
The average coffee drinker consumers 3 cups per day, but they’ll need to do better to realize all the benefits that java offers, according to new findings. The study of 12,000 adults, published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, found that those who drink 4 or more 8-ounce (237ml) cups per day see significantly better physical function and are less frail later in life. (Just brew it?)
-NYPost

BS CHRONOMETER 10.30.23

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Candy Corn Day”, celebrating the traditional Halloween candy that resembles corn kernels and can’t be resisted until you’ve finished off the entire 2-lb bag. About 9 billion pieces are manufactured each year. (What?? It’s not grown on a stalk like regular corn?)
• “Devil’s Night” or “Mischief Night,” traditionally a night of pranks before Halloween.
• “Create a Great Funeral Day”, whether you are someone who likes to have things done your way, or if you simply don’t want to burden your loved ones with the task, pre-planning your funeral is a good idea. (Besides … it’s much more fun to do it in advance…That’s it…put the ‘fun’ back in ‘funeral’!)
• “Checklist Day”, to appreciate the value of lists, and the peace of mind they give by helping you stay organized. Too lazy to make your own? Here’s a website that does it for you: LINK: http://checklists.com  (We understand that Santa Claus is a big proponent of making a list…and checking it twice!)
• “Buy a Doughnut Day” … but really, who buys just one? (The official dictionary spelling of the word is “doughnut.” The simplified, Americanized spelling of “donut,” has been around since the late 19th century. It didn’t catch on, though, until late in the 20th century)
• “Sugar Addiction Awareness Day”, something to keep in mind on what is also ‘Candy Corn’ and ‘Buy a Doughnut Day’! And by Halloween night, ‘Sugar Addiction Awareness Day’ will be nothing but a faint, sugar crashed, foggy-brained memory…
• “Text Your Ex Day”. I can’t see this going horribly wrong at all, can you?

AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Halloween
[Tues] Knock-Knock Jokes Day
[Wed] Scented Candle Day
[Thurs] Cinnamon Day
This Week is…Pastoral Care Week
This Month is…Roller Skating Month

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1939 [84] Grace Slick, Highland Park IL, rock singer (Jefferson Airplane-‘Somebody to Love’, Starship-‘We Built This City’)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Jefferson Starship, 1996

1945 [78] Henry Winkler, New York City, NY, TV actor (‘Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli’ on “Happy Days” 1974-1984)/movie actor (“Night Shift”, “Black Adam”)/Emmy for his role as ‘Gene’ on “Barry”

1947 [76] Timothy B. Schmit, Oakland CA, rock bassist-singer (Eagles-‘I Can’t Tell You Why’, ‘Love Will Keep Us Alive’, Poco-‘Keep on Tryin’’)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Eagles, 1998

1951 [72] Harry Hamlin, Pasadena CA, TV actor (“L.A. Law” 1986-1991, “Mad Men” 2013-2014)/movie actor (“80 For Brady”)/married to Lisa Rinna since 1997

1965 [58] Gavin Rossdale, London England, rock singer-guitarist (Bush-‘Glycerine’)/married to Gwen Stefani 2002-15

1975 [48] Ian D’Sa, London England [raised Mississauga ON], rock guitarist-vocalist (Billy Talent-‘Rusted From the Rain’)

1978 [45] Matthew Morrison, Fort Ord CA, TV actor (‘Will Schuester’ on “Glee” 2009-15)/TV personality (“So You Think You Can Dance” judge, 2022)/Broadway actor (“Hairspray”)

1981 [42] (Ivana) “Ivanka” Trump, New York City, NY, business executive/author/advisor to the President of the US, Donald Trump 2017-21/TV personality (judge on “The Apprentice”, “Celebrity Apprentice”)/daughter of Donald Trump and his first wife, Ivana

1987 [36] Ashley Graham, Lincoln NE, model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Addition Elle, Liz Clairborne, etc./TV personality (host of “Miss USA”, “Miss Universe”, “America’s Next Top Model” judge/body activist

1988 [35] Janel Parrish, Oahu HI, TV actress (‘Mona Vanderwaal’ on “Pretty Little Liars” 2010-2017)/movie actress (“Bratz”)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1938 [85] A radio broadcast of H. G. Wells “The War of the Worlds”, narrated by Orson Welles (supposedly) causes mass panic

2006 [17] Oprah Winfrey gives a $1,000 Bank of America debit card to each studio audience member on her talk show, and asks that it be spent on someone outside their family

2012 [11] The Walt Disney Company purchases Lucasfilm Ltd and its rights to “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” for $4.05 billion

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1987 [36] George Michael’s first solo album “Faith” is released

1991 [32] Country singer Clint Black marries actress Lisa Hartman

2021 [02] Among those inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are: Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Carole King, Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner, Kraftwerk and LL Cool J

TODAY IN SPORTS . . .
1974 [49] In the famous “Rumble in the Jungle”, Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the 8th round in Zaire. Ali regains the world heavyweight title he was stripped of for refusing induction into the US Army in 1967

BULL’S BITS

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Martial artists who smile before the start of a match are more likely to lose.
✓ Animals can be allergic to humans (or at least to our ‘dander’, or dead skin cells).
✓ You travel 2.5 million km (1.55million miles) a day around the Sun without realizing it.
✓ Compared to the way it appears to those in the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon look upside down to those in the Southern Hemisphere. As a result, the ‘Man in the Moon’ looks more like a rabbit to those in the south.
✓ LEGO bricks withstand compression better than concrete.
✓ Platypuses sweat milk.
-BBC

Best of BS . . .
BS FAKE PUMPKIN FACTS:
• The original name was Steve-O’-lantern.
• In October, baseball players switch from sunflower seeds to pumpkin seeds.
• For a brief period of time in the 80s, Pumpkin Patch Kids were a thing too.
• Pumpkin Spice was kicked out of The Spice Girls for seedy behavior.
• If you smash one, rockin’ 90s tunes start playing.
• Pumpkin Pi must be exactly 3.14159 inches deep.
• Tastes like chicken.
• The Great Pumpkin really isn’t all that great.
• You can buy Pumpkin patches. They’re similar to nicotine patches, but cure your addiction to Pumpkin Spice lattes.
• A crazy pumpkin is clinically ‘out of its gourd’.
-Twitter, first published in ‘BS’ in 2018

TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ Comedian Jon Lovitz said he’s paying too much in taxes. (Personally, I disagree. That Jon Lovitz is a comedian, that is…)
➠ Bill Gates turned 68 on Saturday. (I was going to email him a nice birthday greeting, but I’m still waiting on a Windows update…)
➠ Ivanka Trump is 42 today. (So, what do you get for the girl who has EVERYTHING — already handed to her?)
➠ Tomorrow is Halloween! (It’s that one day out of the year for women to put on their most-revealing and sexiest costumes. (Or, as the Kardashian-Jenner Clan calls it . . . Tuesday!)
➠ FACT:  Dennis Rodman’s father has 29 children with 16 different women. (Who knew Rodman’s father once played in the NBA?)

BS WEB GOODIE:
I HATE when that happens:  https://tinyurl.com/35d5de4j

BS HALLOWEEN TRIVIA:
• Which vegetable was traditionally carved during the early days of Halloween? A: Turnips
• Which Halloween candy was originally called “chicken feed”? A: Candy Corn
• Which iconic film popularized the modern image of the witch, with flowing robes, a pointed hat, and a hooked nose? A: “The Wizard of Oz”
• According to the theme song, which family is “creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky”? A: The Addams Family
• Which celebrity was NOT born on Halloween day — Willow Smith, Vanilla Ice, Alice Cooper, or Rob Schneider? A: Alice Cooper. His birthday is Feb. 4.
-LandofTrivia

BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s a cheap Halloween costume you can throw together if you have no time or money?

BS RANDOM JOKE:
If one door closes and another door opens… your house is probably haunted.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  40% of homes that have THIS, are difficult to sell. What is it?
Answer:  The number 13 in the address

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Do what you have to do — until you can do what you want to do.