Monday, February 3, 2025 – Edition: #7885
Tomorrow’s Show Prep Today!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Move over, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, there’s a new royal documentary star in town. King Charles III is set to join the entrepreneurial couple in the nonfiction film space, with production already underway for an Amazon Prime feature about his urgent concerns for the future of the planet. The film title hasn’t been announced, but reports are it will center on the ideals presented by King Charles in his 2010 book “Harmony: A New Way of Looking At Our World.” The Palace said the king is “greatly looking forward” to seeing his book translated into film. It is expected to drop on Amazon Prime by the end of 2025 or early 2026.
-VainutyFair
★ After accumulating a massive collection of tattoos over the years, Pete Davidson is having almost all of them removed. While promoting his new movie “Dog Man” on the “Today” show Friday, he detailed the incredibly painful process. He told hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin: “It’s pretty terrible, so if anybody out there is watching and thinking about getting a tattoo, make sure you really want to get it.” Wednesday on “Jimmy Fallon”, he said: “I’ve been burning them off. They’re almost gone.” When Fallon asked if the process was painful, Davidson said: “It’s horrible. They have to burn off a layer of your skin and then it has to heal for, like, 6-8 weeks and you can’t get in the sunlight. And then you’ve gotta do it, like, 12 more times.” Davidson said that at one point he had “probably, like, 200″ tattoos. He plans to keep “2 or 3”.
-People
★ Who let “Dog Man” out? Universal Pictures did, and the DreamWorks Animation caper earned a projected $36 million opening weekend domestically. That’s the biggest opening weekend yet for this still very young year — and the second biggest opening for a January animated title ever, following Kung Fu Panda 3” in 2016, which netted $42 million in its debut. Holding its own in second place, the scary satire “Companion” earned an a projected $9.5 million. Third went to “Mufasa: The Lion King, with $6.6 million.
-Deadline
★ Just days before today’s first hearing in Blake Lively‘s sexual harassment accusation and Justing Baldoni’s retaliation claims over what went down with on the set of “It Ends With Us”, and leading up to the film’s premiere last summer, Baldoni and his people made good on his threat to put all the evidence up online. Sort of. Despite promises of full transparency, the site merely contains the amended complaint Baldoni’s team filed Friday in his $400 million defamation and extortion suit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and timeline of events in the saga featuring a multitude of text messages. His updated suit accuses Reynolds, of “bullying” him with the character of ‘Nicepool’ in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” If you’re interested, the downloadable documents are available at: https://thelawsuitinfo.com/
-Deadline
★ The reunion is on. A sequel to “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” is moving ahead at 20th Century Studios, with Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow in negotiations to reprise their starring roles. Tim Federle, who created “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”, will direct the feature film, and plans are to start production in June. The original, released in 1997, featured Sorvino and Kudrow as a pair of unaccomplished 29-year-olds who decide to fabricate successful careers in order to impress their former classmates at their 10th anniversary high school reunion. The fashion, comedy, and music all helped the movie become a cult hit.
-HollywoodReporter
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Harrison Ford, Ariana DeBose, My Morning Jacket
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Adrien Brody, Idina Menzel, Aaron Weber
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): James Marsden, Cazzie David
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): James Davis, Laura Peek, Irene Tu
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Capt. Jason Chambers, Tzarina Mace-Ralph
• “The Daily Show” (COM): TBA
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Amy Schumer
• “Today” (NBC): TBA, co-host Ego Nwodim
• “GMA3” (ABC): James Marsden, Elizabeth Schulze
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Laverne Cox, Olivia Holt, Brian Kelly
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Gabriel Basso, Ashley Tisdale
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Katherine Legge, Malcolm Gladwell, Kenya Barris
• “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Sheryl Lee Ralph, Teddy Swims
• “The Voice” (NBC): Season 27 premiere
• The Neighborhood” (CBS): The Johnsons and Butlers are curious about their new neighbors’ lifestyle and their interest raises some surprising questions.
• “9-1-1: Lone Star” (FOX): Season 5 finale. Owen and the 126 deal with the aftermath of the asteroid crash in Austin while an even greater threat looms.
• “The Bachelor (ABC): Still on a high following night one, Grant and the women continue their journey for love in Los Angeles.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lady Gaga – Not only did she perform with Bruno Mars at last night’s Grammys, Madame Tussauds London has unveiled a new wax figure of her. In her second figure at the attraction, she is depicted wearing a replica of the glam black-and-white Armani Privé gown she wore to the 2022 ceremony. (***Also, see “Jelly Roll & Post Malone”, below***)
• Taylor Swift – Kevin Evers, senior editor at Harvard Business Review, has written “There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift”. Taking its title from her song ‘Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince’, it examines how Swift’s keen strategic thinking has made her “one of the most successful business figures of our time.” It’s out April 8.
• Foreigner – Their 1984 mega-hit ‘I Want to Know What Love is’ has officially entered Spotify’s esteemed Billions Club (1 billion streams on the service). It comes as the band prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.
• Def Leppard – has released a cover of Ben E. King’s 1961 classic ‘Stand By Me’. It follows their karaoke performance of the song in the Netflix movie “Bank of Dave 2 The Loan Ranger”. Proceeds are going to FireAid in California. In 1988, Def Lep appeared on TV to back King in a live performance of the song when his band was unable to appear. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/d32a4h9n
• Ringo Starr – The Beatles legend appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week, and confirmed that a long-standing rumor about him is true. That’s correct – he has never eaten pizza. After the audience gasped at his revelation, the 84-year-old explained: “I’m allergic to several items. With pizza, you don’t know what they’re putting in it half the time.” He said he has also never tried curry.
• Jelly Roll & Post Malone — will perform at the star-studded event “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” streaming live from New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 14 on Peacock. Jimmy Fallon will host the celebratory show. Other performers include Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Chris Martin, Backstreet Boys, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Bad Bunny, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons and Bonnie Raitt.
• Jason Aldean – His wife Brittany revealed in an Instagram Q&A that the couple has purchased a home in the Bahamas. When a fan asked her to name their fav place where they own a home, she replied: “Nashville is my favorite, Florida is Jason’s”, but “We just bought in the Bahamas…So, I have a feeling this may be my new favorite.” They own numerous other hideaways throughout the world.
• Lainey Wilson – has announced that she’ll launch the “Whirlwind World Tour” in March. It starts March 4 in Zurich, and hits Paris, London, and a number of other European cities, before beginning a North American run on May 30 in Panama Beach FL. Openers include ERNEST, Muscadine Bloodline, Kaitlin Butts, Maddox Batson, Drake Milligan, Lauren Watkins and Zach Meadows. LINK: https://www.laineywilson.com/tour
SHOOTING THE BULL
PHONE FREE FEBRUARY:
Now that “Dry January” is over, you might be looking forward to a very “moist” February. Or, you might be up for another challenge. How about “Phone Free February”? Some nonprofits are encouraging people to take the month to either drastically reduce their phone usage – or not use it at all. The hope is that by taking some time to live phone-free, we’ll realize the grip it has on our lives. One benefit of a digital detox may be an improvement in mental health. Excessive smartphone use has been associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and social isolation. Stats show that we check our phones an average of 221 times per day.
(Even more if you just posted an awesome selfie!)
(Phone-Free February? I guess I’ll finally get to see that ‘outside’ place everyone keeps talking about!)
(I’d much rather celebrate “Free Phone February”…)
-Upworthy
STOP ME IF YOU’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE:
So, yesterday was the big day, when we shunned the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weather forecasting equipment available to us at the touch of a button, and put our faith in the prognosticating abilities of a hapless rodent (aka woodchuck, marmot, or groundhog) who actually has no idea that he’s there to predict if we’ll see an early spring or not. So – is he (or she) any good at what he does? The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a study last week, analyzing the annual prognostications of weather-predicting groundhogs (as well as one prairie dog statue and a tortoise), and found the most famous, Punxsutawney Phil, didn’t even crack the top 10. In their analysis of groundhogs that have been predicting the weather for at least 20 years, the most accurate weather predictor was found to be Staten Island Chuck, who accurately predicted the arrival of spring 85% of the time. He was followed, in order, by Georgia’s General Beauregard Lee (80%), a Wyoming Prairie Dog statue named Lander Lil (75%), West Virginia’s Concord Charlie (65%), Gertie the Groundhog from Illinois (65%). Punxsutawney Phil came 17th, predicting the weather accurately 35% of the time. Canada’s most famous groundhog, Wiarton Willie, is claimed locally to be accurate 90% of the time. But scientists have estimated his accuracy at 25%.
(Phil’s predictions are like my New Year’s resolutions: Great intentions, terrible execution!)
(Next year, I’ll just go with my aching knees!)
-UPI
SUPER SODIUM SUNDAY:
With Super Bowl Sunday almost here, it probably won’t come as a surprise to you to hear that the majority of foods considered “traditional” game day snacks are high in sodium. What might come as a surprise to you is just HOW high. A new study reveals that foods advertised in NFL commercials contain an average of nearly 40% of the daily recommended sodium intake. University of Nevada, Reno’s School of Medicine researchers recorded 10 NFL games in 2023 and analyzed the number and duration of commercials advertising food products. They found that about 10% of the spot advertised food. The sodium content of those foods ranged from 220-1,872 milligrams, with a median amount of 910mg. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than 2,300mg per day. Fast-food restaurants advertised the products with the most sodium. Senior study author Dr. Paul Hauptman points out that eating too much salt can have many negative effects on your health, including high blood pressure, which is directly related to stroke and heart disease. A lot of those foods are also high in fat and calorie content. Hauptman also said that because a lot of food choices are emotional, the excitement of watching a game, whether your team is winning or losing, could cause you to consume even MORE foods that are bad for you.
(Of course they do. That’s why I’m there!)
(So the biggest threat on Sunday isn’t Philly’s defensive line. It’s nachos?)
-CNN
999 — WHAT’S YOUR SO-CALLED EMERGENCY?
The Welsh Ambulance Service has unveiled its list of the most “inappropriate” calls that came in to its 999-emergency number (their equivalent to 911) in 2024. Here are some of the best — or rather, worst…
✗ Chipped tooth .
✗ Can’t remove a tight bracelet.
✗ “I got my finger stuck in a beer bottle and it will not come out.”
✗ Pet alligator “got loose and I’m scared to death. I don’t like it…I think it’s under the sofa.”
✗ “I stuck my finger in a plug socket, and I felt no effect but I’m not ruling out if I electrocuted myself.”
✗ Locked outside of their house.
✗ The cotton from the end of a (Q-tip) is stuck in someone’s ear.
(I’ve got to agree the with “alligator” caller, though. That definitely sounds like an emergency to me!)
-UPI
RESTAURANT HACKS:
Recently, the BuzzFeed community was asked to share their hacks for saving money when they’re out to eat. Here are some of the best – and most creative – things that respondents said they do to save a buck or two…
→ “I’m a big fan of ordering (from a place that gives) large portions that I know will leave me with leftovers. Spending $18 on a meal feels better when I can get 3 meals out of it.”
→ “My husband and I often get sampler platters of things and split them. At a well-known ‘Italian’ place they have one entree that is essentially 3 smaller entrees.”
→ “I hardly ever drink water with meals at home, but at restaurants, it’s all I’ll get. I cannot…justify paying $3.75 for a glass of Pepsi when I could go buy a 2 liter of it for $1.”
→ “DO NOT GET ALCOHOL. That stuff is so (darn) expensive.
→ “When it comes to sides, if you want a salad, and it’s offered as a side, get that! If you still want potatoes or something, get that as an extra side, it’s usually much cheaper than a side salad.”
→ “Try something new and be willing to spend money on something you might not like instead of buying a plain pizza/pasta you could make at home for a fraction of the price.” (Speak for yourself!)
→ “Split your meal with your dinner companion! Oftentimes, they will bring you 2 separate plates…If you’re still hungry…you can order more. You can even split a beer.” (Congrats. You’re my grandparents!)
→ “Eat out during lunch rather than dinner. Oftentimes, restaurants will charge a premium for dinner.
-BuzzFeed
DID YOU KNOW?
If you’ve ever wondered why some people can’t stand the taste of coffee, while others can’t get enough, and why some need to dilute its taste with cream and sugar while others will only drink it black, German researchers have an answer for you. A team from Munich’s Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology found that not everyone experiences the bitter compounds found in coffee the same way. The results revealed striking differences in bitter perception based on genetics. Eight out of 11 test subjects were able to perceive a bitter taste in coffee, one found it slightly bitter, and 2 didn’t notice any bitter taste at all. (Now you can tell people it’s in your DNA to drown your coffee in caramel syrup. “Science said so!”)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 02.03.25
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Halfway point of Winter”. In the Northern Hemisphere, today is the exact halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Many think the midpoint of winter is always Groundhog Day, but it varies. Winter is the shortest of the 4 seasons, lasting 88.99 days. (We may be halfway through winter, but I’m 100% done with it!)
• “Carrot Cake Day”, saluting an idea hatched in the Middle Ages. At that time, sugar and other sweeteners were rare and very expensive, so people used sweet vegetables for flavor.
• “National Missing Persons Day” in America. Every day in the US, approximately 2,300 people are reported missing. We’re encouraged to be alert, share the names and pics of those who have gone missing, and help bring them home to their families.
• “Elmo’s Birthday”. Elmo is the friendly, furry red Muppet monster who lives on Sesame Street. He is self-described as 3½ years old (even though his first official appearance was in 1980). And according to his official bio on muppetfandom.com , today is his birthday.
• “American Painters Day”. Although this day honors all American painters, there is a special emphasis on Norman Rockwell, who was born in New York on this date in 1894. He is best-known for the covers he created for “The Saturday Evening Post”, beginning in 1916.
• “Doggy Date Night”. Scientists have consistently found that dogs provide social, physical and emotional benefits for their owners…and vice-versa! Today, spend a little extra time with yours: play games like fetch or frisbee, or go on a nice long hike with the friend who is always there for you – your dog.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] World Cancer Day
[Tues] Homemade Soup Day
[Wed] Fart Day
[Thurs] Pay-a-Compliment Day
This Week is…Solo Diners Eat Out Week
This Month is…Heart Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1943 [82] Blythe Danner, Philadelphia PA, movie actress (“Meet the Parents” films)/TV actress (“Will and Grace” 2001-20)/mother of Gwyneth Paltrow
1947 [78] Dave Davies, London England, rock guitarist (The Kinks-‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Lola’)/Rock Hall of Fame, 1990/brother of Kinks’ singer Ray Davies
1956 [69] Nathan Lane, Jersey City NJ, Broadway actor (“The Producers”, “Guys & Dolls”)/movie actor (“Swing Vote”, “The Birdcage”)/TV actor (‘Pepper’ on “Modern Family” 2010-19)
1965 [60] Maura Tierney, Boston MA, TV actress (‘Helen Solloway’ on “The Affair” 2014-19, “The Good Wife” 2012-13)/movie actress (“Baby Mama”, “Semi-Pro”, “Liar Liar”)
1970 [55] Warwick Davis, Epsom England, movie actor (“Willow”, “Leprechaun”)
1976 [49] Isla (‘EYE-luh’) Fisher, Muscat Oman (raised in Scotland, Australia), movie actress (“Rise of the Guardians”, “Wedding Crashers”)/TV actress (“Arrested Development” 2013, 18)/married to Sacha Baron Cohen 2010-24)
1977 [48] Daddy Yankee (Ramón Rodríguez), San Juan Puerto Rico, retired reggaeton singer-rapper (Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber-‘Despacito’)
1978 [47] Amal Clooney, Beirut Lebanon (raised in England), human rights lawyer (defended Julian Assange)/co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice/married to George Clooney since 2014
1990 [35] Sean Kingston (Kisean Anderson), Miami FL, R&B singer (‘Beautiful Girls’, ‘Take You There’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2015 [10] Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are married at their home in Los Angeles. They would divorce acrimoniously in 2017 (maybe you heard…).
2015 [10] It’s announced that author Harper Lee will release her second novel, “Go Set a Watchman”, 55 years after her only other novel, the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird”.
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1959 [66] Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson are killed in an Iowa plane crash. Don McLean would call it “The Day the Music Died” in his 1971 hit ‘American Pie’.
1989 [36] ‘Wild Thing’ by Tone Loc becomes the first rap single certified Platinum, with sales of over a million.
2021 [04] T.J. Osborne of Brothers Osborne comes out as gay in an interview with Time, making him the first openly gay country artist signed to a major label.
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2013 [12] A power outage occurs during Super Bowl 47 at the Superdome in New Orleans LA. (Baltimore Ravens come out of the dark to defeat San Francisco 49ers 34-31).
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2014 [11] Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning wins a record 5th NFL MVP Award.
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The word “February” comes from a Latin word meaning “to cleanse”.
✓ In ancient Greece, comets were called “hairy stars.”
✓ By the time they’ve been retired for 2 years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress.
✓ The saying “opposites attract” is a myth. People are actually attracted to those who look like family members, or those with a similar personality type.
✓ Shoes that were specific to left and right were not made until the US Civil War.
✓ The 3 most-read books in the world today are believed to be “The Bible”, “Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung”, and “Harry Potter”.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, RandomFactGenerator
Best of BS . . .
BS METHODS, ASIDE FROM GROUNDHOGS, TO DETERMINE IF SPRING IS ON THE WAY:
• Wal-Mart re-labels bags of ‘tire-traction sand’ as ‘sandbox sand’.
• Detroit Pistons are mathematically eliminated from NBA playoffs.
• That pleasant Spring breeze … that’s blowing small cars across the parking lot.
• (***Local TV forecaster***) switches from tacky wool blazers to tacky polyester blazers.
• Garbage collectors start going topless.
• Look at a calendar, twit!
-First published in BS 1998
BS GOOD THINGS ABOUT A COLD WINTER:
• You can chill your cheap wine on the window ledge at work.
• You don’t have to look at as many tattoos.
• The joy of frostbite makes it easier to rid yourself of those troublesome extremities.
• Lots of opportunities to say “Cold enough fer ya?” and “Yeah, but it’s a dry cold.”
• Kanye’s girlfriend has to put on a shirt.
• The misery of constant congestion due to allergies is replaced by the misery of constant congestion due to a cold.
• Your dog is less likely to force you to go out among other people for a walk.
• Flashers stick to describing themselves.
• Frozen moustache causes mother-in-law to speak less.
• Finally, Rudy Giuliani’s not sweating.
• Honestly…that’s it.
-First published in BS in 2004
BS WEB GOODIE:
Accurate: https://tinyurl.com/4pm6w9pz
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I used to be a people person, but people ruined it for me.
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• What unusual job did a “knocker-upper” do?
a) Knock on doors for charity
b) Hammer nails into boots
c) Play drums in parades
d) Wake people up by knocking on their windows [CORRECT, in Netherlands and UK when alarm clocks were expensive and unreliable]
• What do astronauts say space smells like?
a) Fresh laundry
b) Burnt steak [CORRECT]
c) Vanilla
d) A vacuum…cleaner
• What happens if you tickle a penguin?
a) It sneezes
b) It hiccups
c) It laughs [CORRECT]
d) Your finger freezes
-Formester
☎ BS PHONE STARTER:
What movie or show do you quote most often?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
53% of people say they always do THIS alone. What is it?
Answer: Eat breakfast
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Find a job you like and add 5 days to every week.
