Thursday, December 14, 2023 – Edition: #7618
The Sheet Hits the Fans!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ The Critics Choice Awards have chosen the best films and movie performances of the year, cementing top contenders in the awards race a month before the Oscars nominations are revealed. “Barbie” leads in total nominations, doubling the amount of Golden Globes noms it received on Monday — scoring 18 overall nominations from the Critics Choice Awards — including Best Picture, Best Director (Greta Gerwig), Best Actress (Margot Robbie), and Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling). Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” both earned 13 nominations, followed closely by Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, with 10, including another Best Actress nod for Lily Gladstone. The 2024 Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler , will air Jan. 14 on the CW.
-EW
★ The Library of Congress announced the 25 films joining the National Film Registry for 2023, with titles including “12 Years a Slave,” “Home Alone,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Selected films must be more than 10 years old and are selected each year for their cultural, historic or aesthetic significance to preserve the film heritage of the U.S. The selected films encompass more than 100 years of history, including the earliest title of this year’s additions — the 1921 educational film “A Movie Trip Through Filmland.” Other titles selected this year include “Apollo 13” from Ron Howard, animated classic “Lady and the Tramp,” and “Desperately Seeking Susan.”
-Variety
★ Kat Dennings is a married woman! The “Two Broke Girls” star tied the knot with rock star Andrew W.K. “last month at their home in Los Angeles,” according to an announcement via Vogue magazine. The outlet shared an Instagram carousel with photos of the married couple at their wedding ceremony as well as a picture of 2 of their guests — Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song. Dennings is 37, W.K. is 44.
LINK: http://tinyurl.com/bar9f84s
-EW
★ Hilary Duff has another baby on the way! The “Lizzie McGuire” alum and Matthew Koma are expecting their third child together, her fourth. She announced her pregnancy Tuesday by sharing her family’s 2023 holiday card on Instagram. The front reads: “So much for silent nights”, with a photo of the actress cradling her baby bump in pajamas at home with Koma and her kids. The back confirms she is “adding one more to this crazy bunch!” Duff captioned her post: “Surprise Surprise!” LINK: http://tinyurl.com/48ve2me6
-PageSix
★ It would seem that ‘Jigsaw’s’ games will never end. After the critical and box office success of “Saw X” this fall, Lionsgate has announced that “Saw XI” will drop on Sept. 27, 2024. The 11th installment of the gory horror series will hit theaters about one month before the 20th anniversary of the release of the first “Saw”. The next installment was announced via the “Saw” Instagram page, with a picture of Roman numerals proclaiming the release date with the “XI” for 11 highlighted in red, with the caption, “The game continues.” LINK: http://tinyurl.com/bdh44kyz
-TheWrap
★ A Scottish mother’s rare find in a bargain bin made her a 5-figure profit more than 25 years later. The 58-year-old purchased a first-edition hardback copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” — the first in the ‘Harry Potter’ book series — from a bargain bin in Scotland, for £10 ($12.55) – minus a £2 ($2.51) discount. As a nod to Harry Potter’s room under the stairs, the woman placed the book in a cupboard under the stairs at her home, and “forgot about it for a long time”. This week, Hansons Auctioneers sold it for £55,104 ($69,138.99).
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Zac Efron, Jason Mantzoukas, Queens of the Stone Age
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Billie Eilish Claire Foy Rebecca Shaw, Ben Kronengold, Gracie Abrams
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Greta Gerwig, Andrew Scott
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Tracee Ellis Ross, Mike Birbiglia
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Nicki Minaj
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Guest Host Kal Penn
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Tracee Ellis Ross
• “The Talk” (CBS): Michelle Monaghan, Bill Pullman
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Tracee Ellis Ross
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Taraji P. Henson, Killer Mike
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Gary Oldman
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Janelle Monáe
• “That Clip Show: Holiday Edition” (NBC): Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila host this special featuring viral holiday videos.
• “CMA Country Christmas” (ABC): Performers include Jordan Davis, Amy Grant, Lady A, Ashley McBryde, Jon Pardi, Lindsey Stirling, The War and Treaty, Zach Williams, Lainey Wilson and Trisha Yearwood.
• “Disney 100: A Century of Dreams — A Special Edition of 20/20” (ABC): Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the entertainment company with interviews, rare footage, and never-before-heard stories from those who built the Disney legend; plus, a look inside Disney’s newest attraction.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• SZA – celebrated the first anniversary of her “SOS” album by teasing her next one. She took to Instagram to say the success of the record “is beyond my wildest dreams.” Then, she shared 6 album covers for her upcoming LP “Lana”, rumored to drop this month. LINK: https://www.instagram.com/sza/
• Taylor Swift — has donated $1 million to the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund, in response to the deadly tornadoes that ravaged the state over the weekend. She has extensive roots in Nashville: She attended high school in Sumner County and skyrocketed to stardom while living there and performing as a country singer. She also still owns a home in Music City.
• Sum 41 – has dropped the new single ‘Rise Up’, and given some details on its final album “Heaven :x: Hell”. A release says the record, out March 29, is “the most ambitious album from SUM 41 yet. “Heaven” is 10 tracks of snarling high energy pop punk, while “Hell” consists of 10 heavy metal anthems spiked with fret-burning solos, thrashing riffs, and fist-pumping hooks.” LINK: http://tinyurl.com/4nbbchdw
• Sammy Hagar – joined Nancy Wilson and her band onstage Saturday at Alice Cooper’s annual Christmas Pudding Fundraiser in Phoenix, AZ. The show raises money to support Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers. Hagar and Wilson jammed out a version of Pink Floyd’s classic ‘Comfortably Numb’. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/mr273cn6
• Honeymoon Suite – The Canadian rockers will release the new album “Alive” on Feb. 16. It was produced by Mike Krompass, whose songwriting and production credits include Meghan Trainor, Steven Tyler, Theory of a Deadman and Smash Mouth.
• Carrie Underwood – has added 6 more shows to her “REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency” at Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas. Tickets are already on sale for the shows on Oct. 16, 18, 19, 23, 25 and 26.
• Brantley Gilbert – has announced his “2024 Off the Rails Tour”, beginning Feb. 9 in Connecticut. 21 new US dates take him through July. Dylan Marlowe, Struggle Jennings and Demun Jones will open select dates. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.
• Ashley Cooke – Monday, she released the moody breakup anthem ‘your place’ as a single. Ashley quote: “your place has been the song I’ve connected with fans over night after night as they sing their hearts out about whatever they are going through. For this song to reach even more people through country radio is a dream come true for me.” LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l21ubH2_Z70
• Chayce Beckham and Dylan Marlowe – are among those named to the “2024 CMT Listen Up” roster. Also on the list are up-and-comers Jake Worthington, Anne Wilson, Alana Springsteen, Jordyn Shellhart, Wyatt Flores, Carter Faith, Angie K, Ella Langley, Charles Wesley Godwin, Fancy Hagood, RVSHVD and The Castellows. CMT plans to “work alongside this new group of rising artists and amplify their stories and music across all CMT platforms” in the coming year. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/ms73h4bs
SHOOTING THE BULL
NO “KID”ING:
According to a study, having children can increase your lifespan – to a point. Researchers at the University of Michigan reviewed the health and genetic info of 276,000 people living in the UK, and found that parenting children can extend a person’s life expectancy to about 76. Those with children enjoy a 5-10% longevity advantage over childless people, and it seems that those with 2 children can expect the longest lifespan. The researchers surmised that it is possible that people with kids live longer because of the social benefits that come with having children. Previous studies have found that those with kids tend to have more social interactions, such as with other parents and teachers, “and higher social contact is known to be linked to longer life”. It was also determined that those who are genetically inclined to have more than 2 kids have lower probabilities of living to age 76.
(Good thing – because they’re gonna run out of money long before that!)
(So, something good will eventually come of all those parent-teacher meetings, PTA meetings, athletic council meetings, Girl Guide fundraisers, dance classes and probation hearings that my kids drag me to every week?)
-NYPost
THOUGHT-TO-TEXT:
A new mind-reading AI is able to translate brainwaves into written text. A team at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia conducted tests using only a sensor-filled helmet combined with artificial intelligence. In the study, participants read passages of text while wearing the cap that recorded electrical brain activity through their scalp. These EEG recordings were then converted into text using an AI model called DeWave. While the system is far from perfect, with an accuracy of approximately 40%, the researchers say that more recent data shows an accuracy above 60%. The technology is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive and easily transportable.
(But only 40% accurate? My wife can translate whatever I’m thinking about WAAAY better than that!)
(Wow! And you thought regular texting was a brilliant way to miscommunicate something!)
(I didn’t see that coming – but I’m sure AI did!)
-NewScientist
NAME GAME:
Many North American cities are announcing the winners for their annual “Name a Snowplow” contests. The Ohio Turnpike received 3,800 name submissions this year, and these winners were announced on Monday: “Don’t Flurry Be Happy”, “Scoop! There It Is”, “Blades of Flurry”, “Who Let The Plows Out”, “We’re Off To See The Blizzard”, “I’ve Got Friends In Snow Places”, “Hang On Scoopy” and “Fast and Flurrious”. In Orangeville, ON, the 10 finalists have been announced: “Darth Blader”, “Snow Diggity”, “Snow Way Out”, “Betty White-Out”, “S’no More”, “Ctrl+Salt+Del”, “Snowbe Gone Kenobi”, “Catch My Drift”, “Blizzard Wizard” and “Fast & Flurious” (again). The deadline is tomorrow for entries in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s annual content, which, in the past, has inspired winning names like “Ope, Just Gonna Plow Right Past Ya”, “Better Call Salt”, “Plowy McPlowFace” and “The Truck Formerly Known As Plow”. The idea has become a tradition in other spots too, including in Alaska, Massachusetts and Nebraska, in the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Calgary, and as far away as Scotland. It has become an even more awesome concept since the adoption of map applications that gave those in blizzard-prone areas real-time updates on the positioning of the colorfully-named snowplows. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/4hucuz23
(Still, as far as I’m concerned, no one’s gonna beat “Melton John” – or “Scoopy Doo”, for that matter!)
(Can you just imagine if we had contest to name EVERY service vehicle? Just imagine the names they’d give to tow-trucks! To school buses! To cop cars! Whoops…BAD idea!)
-VariousSources
GOOGLING TRENDS:
Google has released its annual list of the year’s top trending searches, and if you’re thinking Taylor Swift tops yet another chart, think again. The person who prompted the most trending queries – or had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2023 as compared to 2022 – was… NFLer Damar Hamlin. Here are the “Google Year In Search” lists with the top trending data of 2024:
PEOPLE: PASSINGS: ACTORS:
Damar Hamlin Matthew Perry Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Renner Tina Turner Jamie Foxx
Travis Kelce Jerry Springer Danny Masterson
Tucker Carlson Jimmy Buffett Matt Rife
Lil Tay Sinéad O’Connor Pedro Pascal
Andrew Tate Ken Block Jonathan Majors
Carlee Russell Tyre Nicholas Sophie Turner
Jamie Foxx Lisa Marie Presley Russell Brand
Danny Masterson Suzanne Somers Ke Huy Quan
Matt Rife Bob Barker Josh Hutcherson
TV SHOWS: MOVIES: MUSICIANS:
The Last of Us Barbie Jason Aldean
Ginny & Georgia Oppenheimer Ice Spice
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Sound of Freedom Oliver Anthony
Daisy Jones & The Six Everything Everywhere All At Once Peso Pluma
Wednesday Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Joe Jonas
That ’90s Show The Super Mario Bros. Movie Sam Smith
Kaleidoscope Creed III Matt Healy
Beef John Wick: Chapter 4 Kellie Pickler
The Idol Five Nights at Freddy’s Kim Petras
The Fall of the House of Usher Cocaine Bear Sexyy Red
(Does anyone need to Google Taylor Swift anymore? She’s everywhere!)
-Deadline
DID YOU KNOW?
A study published this week by the American Psychological Association found that 77% of us have accepted an unwanted invitation to a holiday event solely to avoid ramifications for missing it. An expert says that doing so is a fast track to exasperating yourself to the point where you probably won’t even enjoy the most wonderful time of year. Lead study author Julian Givi said: “Across our experiments, we consistently found that invitees overestimate the negative ramifications that arise in the eyes of inviters following an invitation decline.” He says while you shouldn’t be afraid to turn down invites in order to avoid holiday burnout, remember that “spending time with others is how relationships develop, so don’t decline every invitation.” (Most people won’t even notice that I didn’t show up – literally!)
-NYPost
BS CHRONOMETER 12.14.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Geminid Meteor Shower”, this annual event peaks tonight and into tomorrow morning. As Earth crosses the debris field of asteroid 3200 Phaethon, we often are able to witness as many as 120 meteors (or “shooting stars”) per hour. For best viewing, find a cloudless spot away from city lights as much as possible. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/396626vy
• “Bouillabaisse Day”, a day to throw some shellfish in a pot with some finely-chopped onion, celery, and tomato; a little white wine, a little MORE white wine; and a whole mess of garlic. Nummers, instant heaven!
• “International Monkey Day”, to raise awareness about monkey issues, monkeys in the news, and ways you can help monkeys . . . apes and other primates included (Did you know humans eat more bananas than monkeys? It’s true, although monkeys are more filling…!)
• “Roast Chestnuts Day”, when we’re encouraged to actually do what we all sing about at this time of year: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”. They go great with a cup of hot chocolate!
• “Halcyon Days” begin, the 7 days before and the 7 days after the Winter Solstice that are traditionally thought to be a time of ‘calm and tranquility’. (Uh, maybe at YOUR house…)
• “Free Shipping Day”, another day dedicated to shopping. Today, thousands of online retailers, both large and small, offer free shipping and guarantee your items by Christmas Eve.
• “Screwdriver Day”, and we’re not talking about the tool. It’s a day to celebrate the classic drink made with orange juice and vodka. (***Caution***) There are many variations, including: Harvey Wallbanger, Slow (Sloe) Screw, Slow Comfortable Screw, Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against The Wall, Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against The Wall Mexican Style, and Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against a Fuzzy Wall.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Underdog Day
[Fri] International Tea Day
[Sat] Stupid Toy Day
[Sun] Maple Syrup Day
This Month is…Christmas Bird Count Week
This Month is…Seasonal Depression Awareness Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1949 [74] Cliff Williams, Essex England, un-retired rock bassist (AC/DC-‘Thunderstruck’, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’)/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2003
1984 [39] Jackson Rathbone, Singapore, movie actor (“Twilight” franchise, “Mixtape”)
1988 [35] Vanessa Hudgens, Salinas CA, movie actress (“High School Musical” movies, “Thirteen”)/pop singer (w/Drew Seeley & Zac Efron-‘Breaking Free’)/married to MLB player Cole Tucker since 2023. COMING UP…untitled 4th “Bad Boys” movie
1992 [31] (Victoria) Tori Kelly, Wildomar CA, pop-soul singer-songwriter (‘Should’ve Been Us’, ‘Nobody Love’)/“American Idol” season 10 contestant
1991 [32] Offset (Kiari Cephus), Lawrenceville GA, rapper (Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert-‘Bad and Boujee’/married to Cardi B since 2017, separated this month
1996 [27] Barbie Ferreira, New York NY, TV actress (‘Kat Hernandez’ on “Euphoria” 2019-22)/model (Adidas, Target, Forever 21…)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1977 [46] At the peak of the disco era, the film “Saturday Night Fever” opens in theaters. The soundtrack contains the Bee Gees’ #1 hits ‘Stayin’ Alive’ and ‘Night Fever’, among others
2017 [06] The Walt Disney Company buys most of 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion
2019 [04] The Bel Air mansion featured in TV’s “The Beverly Hillbillies” sells for $150 million, becoming California’s then-most expensive property
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1978 [45] Billy Joel plays Madison Square Garden for the first time, which he considered a “temple” while growing up. He later becomes the first musical act to hold residency there, which is scheduled to end in 2024, after his 150th show
2012 [11] A stalker is arrested outside Taylor Swift’s home and charged with trespassing (he claims he’s been in touch with her via social media and is planning to surprise her for her birthday)
CATCH OF THE DAY:
2003 [20] US President George W. Bush announces the capture of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2016 [07] Amazon announces its first delivery by drone, 2 km from its warehouse in the UK
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2004 [19] The Millau Viaduct, the “Tallest Bridge in the World” (343m/1,125 ft) is inaugurated near Millau, France
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Before the Post Office started accepting Santa letters, kids yelled their Christmas wishes up the chimney — or tied their notes to balloons.
✓ For ideal moisture content, a snowman is best attempted when snow is around 30°F (-1.1°C).
✓ In the average film, male actors utter 10 times as many profanities as female actors.
✓ The Statue of Liberty’s waist size is 35 – feet.
✓ In virtually every language, the word for “mother” begins with the letter ‘m’.
✓ Cows get hairballs.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, UberFacts
Best of BS . . .
BS THINGS NOT TO DO IN A BOOKSTORE:
• Read “Fifty Shades of Grey” out loud.
• Use their free Wi-Fi to log into Amazon and buy books.
• Return the book “How to Get Away With Murder” covered in blood.
• Light a match.
• Rearrange the books alphabetically by title.
• Use the photocopier the way people were using it at the office Christmas party.
• Stand in the self-help section and offer unsolicited advice.
• Read your Kindle.
• I couldn’t tell you. I’m not allowed within 500 feet since “the incident…”
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ Nichelle Nichols — who played the ‘Lt. Uhura’ in “Star Trek”, said that creators originally wanted Spock to be female. (Also, instead of the “Vulcan nerve pinch,” Spock would just use the “silent treatment”…)
➠ 17% of people re-gift to save money around the holidays. (The other 83% re-gift to let those people know that they hate them.)
➠ A report says that running marathons can cause permanent heart damage. (You can read more about it in the new issue of “News That’s Irrelevant to Me and Chris Christie”.)
➠ Taylor Swift says she wants to be a role model for teen girls. (Because if there’s one thing teenage girls don’t do enough, it’s complain about ex-boyfriends…)
➠ Nick Nolte says he spends a lot of time thinking about death. (…and even more time looking like it!)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Only 11 more sleeps (sound up): http://tinyurl.com/59r6mr2p
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I cannot understand why there are so many people outside. I mean, don’t they have Netflix, or what??
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the worst thing about sharing living quarters with someone? (Top beef in a poll: Sharing a bathroom.)
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: In a survey, 11% of adults said THIS is the worst Christmas gift they ever received. What is it? Answer: Decorations
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
If it matters to you, you’ll find a way.
