Tuesday, December 5, 2023 – Edition: #7611
Why Not Get Sheet-Faced Every Morning?
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Tiffany Haddish appears to have ditched booze during her birthday celebration over the weekend. The comedian celebrated her 44th birthday on Sunday. She posted a clip of herself performing in a cabaret-type show at a private party in front of a group of friends. Her caption reads: “Happy Birthday to me!!!!! I am ready for my next chapter in life” and “It might take some time but I always keep my promise. Just ask God.” While she didn’t specifically mention her DUI from a couple weeks ago, reports are that she was also among Paris Hilton’s many famous guests at her “Slivmas” holiday party last week … and was completely sober there.
-TMZ
★ Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker have tied the knot! The “High School Musical” alum, and her fiancé, pro baseball player Cole Tucker, said “I do” on Saturday in Tulum, Mexico. Over the weekend, a photo surfaced on X of Hudgens posing on the beach barefoot in a casual white dress. Next, her former costar Monique Coleman posted a video on Instagram showing footage of a tropical setting in Tulum. The pair first sparked dating rumors in November 2020, when they were seen holding hands in Los Angeles. They shared the happy news of their engagement in February. She’s 34, he’s 27.
-People
★ A “bloody” war is coming to Westeros. The first teaser for season 2 of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” has dropped, teasing a brutal and merciless war between the Targaryens and the Hightowers. The clip of action-packed scenes brought several familiar faces back to the screen — including ‘Rhaenyra Targaryen’ (Emma D’Arcy), ‘Alicent Hightower’ (Olivia Cooke), ‘Otto Hightower’ (Rhys Ifans) and ‘Daemon Targaryen’ (Matt Smith) — as tensions between the 2 former best friends set to reach a crescendo following the devastating season one finale. Season 2 debuts next summer.
LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bddxxpsw
-Deadline
★ There’s nothing heroic about the final box office performance of “The Marvels.” The superhero sequel is officially the lowest-grossing movie in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After 4 weeks on the big screen, The Marvels has scooped just $80 million in North America and $197 million globally. And Disney noted over the weekend in a press release that it will stop weekend reporting of the movie’s grosses, because it is not expected to generate notable returns in its remaining few weeks in theaters.
-Variety
★ Booking.com is celebrating the release of “Wonka”, out Dec. 15, by booking Wonka’s Sweet Suites at hotels in New York and Los Angeles. Working in collaboration with Highgate Hotels, fans of the soon-to-be-released prequel starring Timothée Chalamet will be able to book stays in rooms which have been transformed into candified wonderlands. At Park Lane New York’s Conservatory Suite and Viceroy Santa Monica’s Palmetto King Suite, guests will be immersed in the film with features such as life-sized chocolate confections and a chocolate bar bed topped with marshmallows, which is “set amidst cotton candy clouds for the sweetest dreams.”
-People
★ Disneyland is not cheap. Just ask Nick Cannon. The TV personality appeared on “The Breakfast Club” and admitted that he drops about $200,000 a year to take his 12 kids to ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’. But it hasn’t always been this way. Cannon says he used to get comped by the theme park when he served as host of Disney’s Christmas morning parade from 2009-19. He claims he visits the place “literally” once a month.
-ET
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Bill Burr, Lily Gladstone, Joshua Ray Walker
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Julia Roberts, Hasan Minhaj
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Mark Ruffalo, Daniel Caesar
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Elizabeth Banks, Jesse David Fox
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Alex Propson, Katie Flood
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Guest Host Charlamagne tha God
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Karine Jean-Pierre, Kenan Thompson
• “The Talk” (CBS): Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Jane Seymour
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Jimmy Fallon, Anderson Cooper
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Mario Lopez, Shane McAnally, The cast of “Shucked”
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Drew and Ross Mathews
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Ayesha Curry
• “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC): Live Season 32 finale
• “The Voice” (NBC): Recap: Top 12 Performances
• “TMZ’s Merry Elfin’ Christmas” (Fox): Harvey Levin and the TMZ team give their takes on some of the biggest stories of 2023; celebrity guests include Shaq, Tiffany Haddish, Bill Maher, Kyle Richards, Mark Cuban and Gavin DeGraw.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Billie Eilish – now says she was outed by Variety at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch in Los Angeles on Saturday. Sunday, she took to Instagram, writing: “Thanks variety for my award and for also outing me on a red carpet at 11 am instead of talking about anything else that matters. I like boys and girls leave me alone about it please.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bd444hc3
• Dua Lipa – Friday, she shared an extended edit of her latest single ‘Houdini’, adding about 3 minutes to its length. In her announcement post, she wrote: “Houdini Extended Edit is OUT NOW and its 5 mins and 54 seconds of pure filth!!!!!!” She also shared behind-the-scenes photos taken during the filming of the video and in the recording studio. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yn2m7emd
• Lenny Kravitz – kept a joint he shared with Mick Jagger. Kravitz told Esquire the 2 met backstage before one of his shows, and later went to his hotel and spent the night talking and smoking ganja. As a keepsake, he held on to one of the roaches they had smoked for 10 years – until one day when he was out of weed…
• David Lee Roth – has shared a new solo version of the Van Halen classic ‘Jump’. The new recording, like some other covers of Van Halen standards he has released over the past year and a half, was recorded in 2022, live off the floor with “no samples” and without Auto-Tune. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/47ezww5s
• Rush — Geddy Lee has dropped the strongest hint yet that he and Alex Lifeson could go back on the road with a stand-in for late drummer Neal Peart. Joined by Lifeson for an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning”, Lee said that since participating together in the Taylor Hawkins tribute, “Whether we went out as part of a new thing, or whether we just wanted to go out and play Rush as Rush, we could do that now.” Lifeson added: “It’s just not in our DNA to stop.”
• Tenille Townes, Priscilla Block, Caitlyn Smith and Brittney Spencer – A clip of them singing ‘Silent Night’ together is available on YouTube. It’s a preview of their appearance on a Christmas episode of “CMT Campfire Sessions”, which airs Dec. 6. In the show, the 4 singers share their favorite Christmas traditions, what’s on their Christmas lists and their favorite holiday songs, while gathered around a campfire. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3w33nzmy
• Cody Johnson — CMT has announced the holiday special “A Cody Johnson Christmas” will air Dec. 13. Named after his 2021 album, it will feature Johnson and his family delivering yuletide tunes. His Christmas album featured covers of Willie Nelson‘s ‘Pretty Paper’ and Merle Haggard‘s ‘If We Make It Through December’.
• Brett Kissel — has unveiled the 4th and final album from “The Compass Project.” “North Album” is a collection of Kissel’s greatest hits from the past decade, performed live in Summerside, PEI. It includes ‘Started With A Song’, which is the single that started it all for Kissel.
SHOOTING THE BULL
A BARBIE JOLLY CHRISTMAS:
It’s December. Get set to see a lot of red and green this month – and pink? And you can blame the “Barbie” movie for that. Barbiecore seems to be spilling into the holiday season as some fans are ditching the traditional colors of the season for all things pink. Unifury, an online shop that sells customizable gifts, says it analyzed Pinterest Trends data, and found that searches for “pink Christmas tree” have spiked 286%. The gifting experts said: “A pink Christmas tree is the perfect, fun centerpiece for Christmas, offering a different touch to a traditional color scheme and is perfect for photo opportunities.” Searches for “pink Christmas decorations have also increased by 198%. They’re warning us to “Prepare for pink baubles, tinsel and lights bringing a vibrant holiday atmosphere that’s bound to delight.” By the way, Amazon offers a selection of pink trees, starting at $40.
(All year long, people have been saying “You can never have too much Barbie.” Well, I’ve finally had too much Barbie!)
(We’ve got some pink Christmas lights outside. And by pink lights, I mean red ones that faded because I left them up all year!)
-NYPost
I’M WORKING ON IT:
You know the type: The guy who is the first to the office in the morning, and the last to leave. The guy (or girl) who worked on a new proposal all weekend, and is always reachable, even when on vacation? The person about whom everyone says: “That dude loves his job WAAAY too much”? Well, it turns out he (or she) doesn’t actually love his job that much. He’s just an addict. New research from the University of Bologna shows that the mood of workaholics (those who suffer from an addiction to their work) is actually generally worse than that of others, even when they are doing something they are passionate about — like their dream job. They concluded: “As in other forms of…addiction, the initial euphoria gives way to a negative emotional state that pervades the person even while at work.”
(And what would you call someone who is the opposite of a workaholic AND is miserable all the time? Asking for a co-worker!)
(I’m not a workaholic. I just want to keep my job!)
-StudyFinds
ADULTRY:
So – at what age did you first begin to “feel” like an adult? Or, are you still waiting? One in 4 of us don’t really feel like adults until their late 20s, says a new study. A poll of 2,000 uh . . . adults . . . found that 6% didn’t really get that feeling until they hit their mid-30s. Some more findings from the OnePoll survey conducted in the US . . .
• Some “adulting” things that people admitted to enjoying included grocery shopping (65%), balancing their budget (62%), doing dishes (60%), laundry (57%) and even vacuuming (56%)
• 74% said cleaning their home is enjoyable, while 77% claimed cleaning is therapeutic for them – AND 26% actually take joy in shopping for a new vacuum.
• Gen Z was the most afraid to admit they like vacuuming (62%), while millennials’ guilty pleasure is doing dishes (40%) and Gen X has a deep appreciation for grocery shopping (44%).
(I felt like an adult the first time I could eat an entire box of donuts, and no one stopped me. Then I felt sick!)
(All the way through this, I couldn’t help but thinking “Is this what life has become for these people?” And then I realized: “This is what life has become for me!)
-SWNS
LESS-COMMON BABY NAMES:
Although it’s always interesting to look at those lists of the most-popular baby names each year, this is a year-end list not for 2023, but from 1923. What’s more, it is not a list of the most-popular names that year, but of some more “intriguing” choices some parents made that year for their children. Here are some less-common (OK, I’ll just say it: WEIRD) names bestowed on kids 100 years ago, according to the US Social Security Administration . . .
GIRLS: BOYS:
1. Clemma 1. Jolly
2. Peaches 2. Lieutenant
3. Evergreen 3. Everest
4. Splendora 4. Choice
5. Oval 5. Brutus
6. Curly 6. Craven
7. Haroldine 7. Bilbo
8. Canary 8. Grove
9. Valjean 9. Lazarus
10. Doll 10. Rome
11. Hixie 11. Garden
12. Glenola 12. Maywood
13. Pebble 13. York
14. Virgin (Thanks, Mom…) 14. Jock (Thanks, Dad…)
15. Leafy 15. Stillman
16. Maclovia 16. Omega
17. Corona 17. Benford
18. Novice 18. Lenzy
19. Brunette 19. Knowlton
20. Argentina 20. Chesterfield
21. Coma 21. Wise
22. Berdean 22. Press
23. Toy 23. Smiley
24. Anise 24. Polo
25. Nanny 25. Clover
(…and what’s the weirdest name you’ve ever heard of someone being saddled with?)
(***For even more fun, take one name from each column, and make your new radio name. Dibs on “Chesterfield Coma”!***)
-HuffPost
DID YOU KNOW?
According to a new study, people who are addicted to social media are more likely to be narcissists. Romanian researchers had 559 people between the ages of 18-45 complete a survey that involved tests evaluating narcissism, stress, symptoms of social media addiction and nomophobia (the fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity). It was noted that participants who scored higher on a scale of narcissistic traits were more likely to experience significant levels of nomophobia. Researchers also concluded that narcissists’ need to feel important through admiration from others can easily be fulfilled via likes and comments on social media. (The scientists are probably just jealous because I’m better than them!)
-NYPost
BS CHRONOMETER 12.05.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Bathtub Party Day”, encouraging a luxurious long, hot bath to develop inner peace. Almost everyone nowadays takes showers, so here’s a chance to recall a luxury from days gone by.
• “Communicate With Your Kids Day”, to promote open and ongoing communication between parents and children with a special emphasis on early childhood communication.
• “International Day of the Ninja”, when you’re encouraged to dress like a ninja and run wild in the streets. The problem? One of the skills of a ninja is ensuring that one’s opponent does not know of his existence. So how can you run wild in the streets? LINK: http://www.dayoftheninja.com
• “Comfort Food Day”. Comfort food is traditionally defined as a food that is sentimental to the consumer. A study found that females tend to seek comfort in sweet and sugary foods like ice cream, while males prefer savory comfort foods like steak and soup. (But why force us to make a choice?)
• “Blue Jeans Day”. It’s one of a few days each year dedicated to one of the most popular articles of clothing in the world. (And what fits better than a good old pair of jeans – assuming you didn’t just overdo the “comfort food” thing!)
• “World Soil Day”, first declared in 2013 to raise awareness of the importance of soils for food security, agriculture, as well as in mitigation of climate change, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development.
• “International Volunteer Day”, honoring the selfless people who make many of the good things in life happen by volunteering their time. (You couldn’t PAY me to do volunteer work!)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Gazpacho Day
[Wed] St. Nicholas Day
[Thurs] Cotton Candy Day (!)
[Fri] Christmas Tree Day
This Week is… Handwashing Awareness Week
This Month is…Decembeard
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1946 [77] Andy Kim (Andrew Youakim), Montreal QC, pop singer (‘Rock Me Gently’)/songwriter (The Archies-‘Sugar, Sugar’)/also recorded under the name “Baron Longfellow”
1947 [76] Jim Messina, Maywood CA, rock singer-guitarist (Loggins & Messina-‘Your Mamma Don’t Dance’, Buffalo Springfield-‘For What It’s Worth’)
1965 [58] John Rzeznik, Buffalo NY, rock singer-guitarist (Goo Goo Dolls-‘Iris’, ‘Slide’)
1967 [56] Gary Allan (Herzberg), La Mirada CA, country singer (‘Every Storm [Runs Out of Rain]’, ‘Nothing on But the Radio’)
1968 [55] Margaret Cho, San Francisco CA, comedian-TV actress (“Drop Dead Diva” 2009-14/movie actress (“Face/Off”)/award winner for her work with LGBT and Asian communities
1975 [48] Paula Patton, Los Angeles CA, movie actress (“Mission: Impossible, Ghost Protocol”, “Precious”/married to Robin Thicke 2005-15
1981 [42] Adan Canto, Acuña, Mexico, TV actor (‘Aaron Shore’ on “Designated Survivor” 2016-19)/movie actor (‘Sunspot’ in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”)
1982 [41] Keri Hilson, Decatur GA, R&B singer-songwriter (‘Pretty Girl Rock’, f/Kanye West & Ne-Yo–‘Knock You Down’)
1985 [38] Frankie Muniz, Wood Ridge NJ, TV actor, (“Malcolm in the Middle” 2000-2006)/TV host (“Dancing With the Stars: Juniors”, 2018)/movie actor (“Agent Cody Banks”)
1986 [37] James Hinchcliffe, Oakville, ON Canada, IndyCar racer (winner of 5 IndyCar races over 7 years)/TV analyst (NBC race commentator since 2020)/finished second in season 23 of “Dancing With The Stars”
1998 [25] Conan Gray, Lemon Grove CA, pop singer-songwriter (‘Heather’, ‘Maniac’)
ON THIS DATE . . .
2013 [10] South African anti-apartheid activist, political prisoner (1962-90) and President of South Africa (1994-99), dies of a lung infection at 95
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2003 [20] Coldplay frontman Chris Martin marries Gwyneth Paltrow, a year after they met backstage at one of his concerts. They divorce in 2016, after “consciously uncoupling”
2022 [01] Kirstie Alley, star of the sitcom “Cheers” and “Look Who’s Talking” movies, dies of cancer at 71
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2004 [19] Elton John is introduced by Robert Downey Jr. as the “other first lady” as he receives a Kennedy Center honor
2013 [10] Spotify responds to critics by revealing how much acts can expect to earn from the music streaming site … an average of $0.007 per play (7-tenths of a cent – they currently pay between $0.003 – $0.005 per stream, on average)
2020 [03] BTS hit #1 in the US with ‘Life Goes On’. The song, sung mostly in Korean, is the first chart-topper since Falco’s ‘Rock Me Amadeus’ (in 1986) with lyrics mainly in a language other than Spanish or English
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The top speed of a falling raindrop is 18mph (29kph).
✓ The temperature of milk when it leaves the body of a cow is 101° Fahrenheit (38.3°C).
✓ Your brain uses 10 watts of energy to think, but it can’t feel pain.
✓ Most soccer players run about 7 miles (11.2 km) in a game.
✓ In a group of 23 people, there is a 50% chance that two will share the same birthday.
✓ If you place a koala and human fingerprint side by side, they’re very hard to differentiate.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, WomansDay
Best of BS . . .
LEAST POPULAR HOLIDAY TV SPECIALS:
(Don’t fail to miss these…)
• “Rudolph Roasting On an Open Fire: A MasterChef Special”
• “Frothy the Runny-Nosed Snow Monkey”
• “The Mini Workout: Sweatin’ With the Elves”
• “Lester the Neutered Donkey’s Christmas Wish”
• “The Assassination of Saint Nicholas: A History Channel Special”
• “Mrs. Claus & The Heimlich Maneuver that Saved Christmas”
• “Santa Claus Sells the Children’s Toys For Beer Money”
• “Baste This, Charlie Brown”
• “How the Grinch Stole My Identity”
• “The Elf on Kim Kardashian’s (ahem) ‘Shelf’”
-First published in BS in 2014
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ This year, mall Santas are trying to lower kids’ expectations, because of the bad economy. (Wow. You know it’s tough out there when a mall Santa thinks YOU’VE got it bad!)
➠ You can surely tell it’s the holiday season. (Starbucks baristas are now misspelling my name on eggnog lattes…!)
➠ A team of researchers found that people who believe in “Chance” and “Luck” are more likely to live less healthy lives than those that do not. (Their proof: Ireland.)
➠ The U.S. added 175,000 jobs in November. (Mostly lawyers hired to sue Donald Trump for something…)
➠ One in 3 people admit they’ve lied to their relatives to avoid having them over for the holidays. (Not me! But that’s only because I died in a plane crash 10 years ago!)
BS WEB GOODIE:
I resemble that (sound up): https://tinyurl.com/5cpxxbr5
BS RANDOM JOKE:
My cactus just died. Now it’s official. The desert takes better care of plants than I do…
BS PHONE STARTER:
Which member of your family do you spend the most on at Christmas? (A survey found that husbands spend the most on their wives, but wives spend the most on their . . . sons.)
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: The average family will do THIS 8 times at home during the holidays. What is it?
Answer: Eat leftovers
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away.
