Monday, December 21, 2020 – Edition: #6876
The BS Press!
BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
The Bull Sheet will be shutting down for the holidays Friday Dec. 25-Friday Jan. 1 inclusive. Following the Dec. 24 edition, the next Bull Sheet will be published for Monday Jan 4, 2021. All subscribers will receive account credits for missed service days. Thanks for an awesome year of BS, and Happy Holidays, all!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Leah Remini is accusing Tom Cruise of losing his temper on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible 7” calling it a ‘publicity stunt’. Cruise lost it when he spotted two assistants ignoring social distancing rules that he had helped to introduce to keep the movie set coronavirus-free. But according to Remini, Scientologists, including Cruise, don’t believe in illness and consider it to be connected to “suppressive” people. Quote: “Tom does not care about the families of his crew…Tom does not believe in family values. I would bet that Tom had this rant written for him and had his Scientology assistant record and release it.”
-Canoe
★ The final episode of “Saturday Night Live” for the tumultuous year that was 2020 started with both the hot topic of the day: who would take over the role of President-Elect Joe Biden? Just hours after Jim Carrey shared the news that his stint portraying Biden on was only set to be for 6 weeks and therefore he would not be continuing through the rest of the season, “SNL” cast member Alex Moffat stepped into the role, appearing in the cold open sketch alongside Beck Bennett as VP Mike Pence, Kate McKinnon as Rudy Giuliani, Kenan Thompson as Dr. Ben Carson and Maya Rudolph as Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
-Variety
★ Pete Davidson is done with tattoos. He’s reportedly not just forgoing NEW ink, but getting rid of the many, tats he already has. Recently, film critic Mike McGranaghan sat in for a Q&A with the cast and crew of “King of Staten Island”, where Davidson first revealed his decision. He was later asked if Davidson was serious and McGranaghan confirmed that “it’s real,” and he’s already started.” McGranaghan wrote that one hand is already “done”, and “He said it takes 3-4 hours in the makeup chair to cover them, so he figured ‘it would be easier to get them burned off.'”
-ET
★ Mark Hamill tweeted that Jeremy Bulloch was “the quintessential English gentleman.” The actor who starred as bounty hunter ‘Boba Fett’ in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died in a London hospital at the age of 75. According to a statement from his agents, Bulloch died from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Boba Fett became a cult favourite and eventually emerged as one of the most beloved figures in the Star Wars galaxy, making Bulloch a big draw on the convention circuit. He also appeared in a pair of James Bond films, 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” and 1983’s “Octopussy.”
-Canoe, CBC
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): LL Cool J, Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Chris Hayes, David Sedaris (R)
• ” The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): John Lithgow, Gary Barlow (R)
• “Conan” (TBS): Andy Daly (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Twelve Doorbells of Christmas
• “The Talk” (CBS): Cyndi Lauper (R)
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Ali Wentworth, KJ Apa, Chef Michael Symon
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Bethenny Frankel, Rachel Harper, Local Natives (R)
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Gal Gadot, Pedro Pascal, Patty Jenkins,
Kaley Cuoco
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Kate Mara, Molly Sims, Eitan Bernath
• “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” (CW): A youth embarks on a journey to find his missing grandmother and prove that Santa Claus is real.
• “Spotlight on Christmas” (LIFETIME): Dumped by her boyfriend, an actress returns home to reconnect with her family during the holidays.
• “Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You” (NETFLIX): Ariana Grande takes the stage in London for her Sweetener World Tour and shares a behind-the-scenes look at her life in rehearsal and on the road.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Pink – broke her ankle while running down the stairs. Early Saturday, she shared a selfie from hospital, and wrote: “As if surviving covid wasn’t enough for this poop sandwich of a year!…“Then I recovered from my very first staph infection…so I thought I’d fracture my ankle!”
• Sean Kingston — a warrant is out for his arrest over an alleged unpaid jewellery bill. According to the complaint, bail has been set at $45,000 and he could face up to three years behind bars if convicted.
• Eminem – is ending 2020 the same way he started it — with a surprise album release. “Music to Be Murdered By – Side B (Deluxe Edition)” dropped on Thursday. In the song ‘Zeus’, he offers an apology to Rihanna over decade-old lyrics where he sided with Chris Brown after he pleaded guilty to felony assault involving her.
• The Lumineers – have released a rendition of ‘Silent Night’, with proceeds from the song going to the National Independent Venue Association’s Emergency Relief Fund, which aims to help save independent music venues amid the pandemic. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ycg8bk9c
• Creed – Former frontman Scott Stapp will make his feature film debut by portraying Frank Sinatra in the upcoming biopic “Reagan”. It will include a scene in which Stapp performs as Sinatra. Dennis Quaid will play Ronald Reagan in the film, which is scheduled for release next year.
• Keith Richards — A museum gave him an unusual 77th birthday present on Friday: A cockroach. The Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Connecticut named a Madagascar hissing cockroach “Keith.” It even got his own insect-sized guitar for his enclosure. (You know that joke that the only survivors of nuclear war would be Keith and cockroaches, right?)
• Kacey Musgraves – found her way to Sesame Street. Photos on her Instagram of her with some Muppet cast members indicate she will appear on an upcoming episode. Other country stars who have appeared on the beloved children’s show include: Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.
• Maren Morris — has canceled her 2021 tour dates, and announced that that she’s working on new music. She posted: “There is so much hope with this vaccine being distributed in 2021, but we are still unsure of when we will be able to do the tour next year…I am in the midst of working on my third record, so I hope we can all come together and enjoy live shows safely again soon.”
• Brantley Gilbert – celebrated 9 years of sobriety on Friday. He posted a pic of himself with his wife Amber and their kids and the words: “couldn’t have done it without my family, my brothers, my road family and the #bgnation. If y’all pop a top today drink one for ya boy.”
ASKING THE EXPERTS:
(***Note: This bit may be more effective if you can source the audio from Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant—make sure to pre-record…just in case you have a loose-cannon virtual assistant!***)
Quite often, it’s the younger members of the household who throw the toughest questions at Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant. And this time of year, you can probably imagine what one of the common questions is…from a certain age group. Here are the responses straight from the virtual assistants when asked “Does Santa Claus actually exist?”
Alexa: “All I know is someone’s been eating my mince pies and Father Christmas looks like the type.”
Google Assistant: “I believe he’s up to some pretty cool things up at the North Pole this year.”
Siri: “Well, reindeer and the North Pole exist, so things are trending in the right direction.”
(Of COURSE Santa is real – there’s no way Amazon could deliver all those presents in one night!)
-Forbes
YOUTHTUBE:
A 9-year-old has been named the highest-paid YouTuber for the THIRD TIME (2nd in a row). Ryan Kaji of Texas has amassed an incredible 27.6 million subscribers to “Ryan’s World”, the most popular of his 9 YouTube channels, and he made about $29.5 million through the site in the past year, according to Forbes. Ryan started out reviewing toys when he was 3, and the child-influencer’s most watched video has scored more than 2 billion views. And if you think an income of almost $30million is a lot for a mini- media maven, brace yourself: He has also made an estimated $200 million from his “Ryan’s World” branded toys and clothing.
(This kid’s making millions! When I was nine, my goals involved finding enough money to buy a bag of chips and avoiding anything containing toothpaste!)
(It sounds like a lot, but remember: Oh. YEAH. That’s a LOT!)
(But if playing with toys is your job, what do you do for fun? Clean your room?)
-LADBible
STAIR WARS:
Would you like to do a quick check of your heart health as you head into the holidays? If you don’t have a Fitbit or access to another health monitoring device on a phone, researchers with the European Society of Cardiology say all you need is a stopwatch and a few flights of stairs. According to their research, the time it takes to climb 4 flights of stairs will reveal your overall heart health and risk for coronary artery disease. Apparently, “If it takes you more than one-and-a-half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor.” In their testing, of those who took 90 seconds to climb the stairs, 58% had abnormal heart function. Just 32% of people who could climb the stairs in 45 seconds had abnormal heart function.
(I have no problem climbing 4 flights in 90 seconds. The problem? By the time I get up there, I’ve forgotten WHY!)
(I can’t even go DOWN stairs that fast!)
(And THEN what ‘steps’ should you take?)
-StudyFinds
COLD WEATHER MYTHBUSTING:
(for the first day of Winter…)
✗ You lose most of your body heat from your head: Nope. Where your body loses heat is closely related to surface area, and the head has only about 9% of the body’s surface area. On the other hand, if the rest of you is all covered up and your head isn’t, then you DO lose most of your heat from your head… (I can, however, confirm that you lose most of your HAIR from your head…)
✗ To warm up, sip coffee or brandy: Caffeine and alcohol hinder the body’s ability to produce heat. They can also cause your core temperature to drop. Instead, drink warm water, or something with sugar. (Can I have brandy if I put sugar in it?)
✗ Cold weather can cause you to catch cold: Can we put this to rest right now? You catch cold from a virus, not from cold temperatures. (Now stop listening to old wives!)
✗ Rub your fingers or toes to warm them: Wiggle them instead. If exposed skin (including your face and ears) becomes cold, cover it with a warm hand until it feels better. Rubbing can cause tissue damage. (Pro tip: Masks help, too!)
✗ You should resist shivering: Shivering means that your body is trying to warm up, and that’s good. In fact, shivering can triple your body’s heat production. (On the other hand, it can chip your teeth…)
✗ If I’m cold, you must be cold too: Age, gender, fitness level and acclimatization all determine when you “feel” cold. And women generally feel cold before men do, possibly because they have less heat-generating ability. (Just ask me about my first wife!)
(Cold, hard facts…that aren’t facts!!)
-OldFarmersAlmanac
DID YOU KNOW?
Dr. Anthony Fauci may be inspiring a new generation of doctors. The number of US students applying to medical school for 2021 is up by 18 % — a huge spike. The Association of American Medical Colleges usually sees an increase of 1-3% each year. Informally, some med school officials are calling the increase the “Fauci Effect”, a reference to the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
-CNN
BS CHRONOMETER 12.21.20
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1937 [83] Jane Fonda. NYC, movie actress (“The Butler”, “On Golden Pond”)/TV actress (“Grace & Frankie” since 2015)/star of 22 exercise videos which sold 17 million copies in the 80s and 90s
1948 [72] Samuel L Jackson, Washington DC, movie actor (“Pulp Fiction”, ‘Nick Fury’ in 11 Marvel films) COMING UP…”Spiral: From the Book of Saw”, 2021
1950 [70] Kay Robertson, West Monroe LA, reality star (“Duck Dynasty” 2012-2017)
1957 [63] Ray Romano, Queens NY, movie actor (“Ice Age” movies)/TV actor (“Parenthood” 2012-15, “Everybody Loves Raymond” 1996-2005
1965 [55] Andy Dick, Charleston SC, TV actor (“2 Broke Girls” 2013-2016, “Newsradio” 1995-1999)
1966 [54] Kiefer Sutherland, London UK (raised in Toronto, ON), TV actor (‘Tom Kirkman’ on “Designated Survivor” 2016-19), “24″ 2001-10)/movie actor (“The Lost Boys”)/son of Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas
1982 [38] Tom Payne, Essex England, TV actor (‘Jesus’ on “The Walking Dead” 2016-19)
1983 [36] Steven Yeun, Seoul South Korea, TV actor (‘Glenn Rhee’ on “The Walking Dead” 2010-2016)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Winter Solstice”, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, as Winter officially arrived at 5:02am EST. The solstice is celebrated in many ways …
– “Blue Christmas”, also called “Longest Night” in the Western Christian tradition, is a day in the Advent season marking the longest night of the year.
– “Flashlight Day”, a tongue-in-cheek commemoration of the year’s longest night.
– In the Wicca religion it’s “Yule”, marking the death of the Sun-God and his rebirth from the Earth Goddess. (Source of the ‘Yule log’.)
– Iranians celebrate with “Yalda”, when fires and lights are lit and families stay up all night to help the Sun battle against darkness.
– The annual “Yukon International Storytellers Festival” features all-night music and stories in Whitehorse, Yukon. (Just 89 days until Spring!)
• “Short Girl Appreciation Day”, a salute to those of minimal stature on the shortest day of the year. At what height does a woman qualify as ‘short’? (Because it’s better to have loved a short girl and lost – than to never have loved a tall!)
• “Humbug Day”, when 12 ‘humbugs’ are allowed to be uttered in order to vent the frustrations of preparing for the holidays.
• “Crossword Puzzle Day”, celebrating the date in 1913 when the first ‘Crossword Puzzle’ was published in the “New York World”. Arthur Wynne devised what he called a “Word-Cross” for the Christmas edition, blissfully unaware he was starting a worldwide craze.
• “French Fried Shrimp Day”, celebrating the joys of battered prawns. Mmm!
• “Homeless Persons Remembrance Day”, observed since 1990 to bring attention to homelessness and to remember those who have paid the ultimate price for living on the street.
COMING UP . . .
[Tues] Abilities Day
[Tues] Date Nut Bread Day
[Wed] Festivus
[Wed] National Roots Day
This Week Is…Gluten-free Baking Week
This Month Is…Operation Santa Paws
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2012 [08] The world is purportedly scheduled to end, according to the much-cited ‘Mayan Calendar’, despite the fact that experts state there were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on the date (part of the hype was created by the 2009 movie “2012″)
2014 [06] “The Battle of the Five Armies”, the last film in “The Hobbit” series, exceeds box office expectations by grossing over $90 million in its first 5 days of release
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2012 [08] ‘Gangnam Style’ by South Korean musician Psy becomes the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views (currently at 3.89 billion. ‘Baby Shark Dance’ is now at #1 with 7.5 billion)
2014 [06] Elton John & David Furnish formally convert their civil partnership into a marriage, hosting a ceremony at their estate in Berkshire UK (guests include David & Victoria Beckham, Ed Sheeran, Sharon Stone…and Ozzy Osbourne)
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1891 [129] The first game of basketball, based on rules created by Canadian-American James Naismith, is played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts, using peach baskets nailed to walls as goals
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The South Pole is colder than the North Pole.
✓ The average newborn baby spends 113 minutes a day crying.
✓ In the US, frisbees outsell baseballs, basketballs, and footballs combined.
✓ In ancient Egyptian, the word ‘nile’ means “water”.
✓ Gymnastics is from a Greek word meaning “to exercise naked”.
✓ Worldwide, about 20% of married couples are first cousins.
-BathroomReadersInstitute
Best of BS . . .
BS IF THE GRINCH WERE CANADIAN:
• Rather than two sizes too small, his heart would be enlarged from eating back bacon
• He would convince The Whos to share their gifts with the less fortunate
• He’d need a thicker green coat to survive
• He’d do everything the usual Grinch did, but on a more modest scale
• He’d leave an apology notes after stealing Christmas
• The quote would be, “It came without ribbons, it came without bows, it came without packages, boxes or hockey bags…”
• Instead of a sleigh, he’d come charging in on a Zamboni
• His little dog Max would be a Newfoundland
• Canadian children would affectionately refer to the mean version of him as ‘Bobby Clarke’
• Tim Horton would hear the Whos
• He was played by Jim Carrey, so technically, he IS Canadian
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
LESS POPULAR HOLIDAY TV SPECIALS:
• “Discovery Channel Presents: ‘Elf Autopsy’”
• “’Twas 243 Nights Before Christmas”
• “Frosty, the Anatomically-Correct Snowman”
• “The Grinch Who Sold Christmas on eBay”
• “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t, Due to Santa’s Urinary Tract Infection”
• “Let’s See What Burl Ives Looks Like Now!”
-First published in BS in 2016
TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Illusionist Criss Angel turned 53 over the weekend. (He celebrated by performing the ultimate Mind Freak…being a 53-year-old who still dresses like he’s in an 8th grade Emo cover band!)
➠ The U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 23,000 pounds of cocaine worth about $400 million at Port Everglades, Florida. (Not surprisingly, the drug-bust was made during ‘High-Tide.”)
➠ A $160 million mansion in Beverly Hills will be the most expensive ever put up for an auction. (I don’t know about you, but I don’t need a $160 million dollar house. I have to hang onto my money so I can get the latest Apple thingie every two and a half months!)
➠ A Florida man died after being strangled by a falling window during an attempted burglary, according to police. (The coroner’s report says his death WAS NOT ‘pane-free.’)
➠ (***Caution***) A Michigan man has won a lawsuit against his parents for throwing out his $29,000 porn collection. (It was obvious he’d win the case, since he clearly has a firm grasp of the penal system…)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Jingle Johns: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=380968866452549
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• What does the average person gain during the holiday season?
a) 1 lb [CORRECT]
b) 5 lbs
c) 10 lbs
d) another enemy in the family?
• In the movie “Home Alone”, where are the McCallisters going on vacation when they leave Kevin behind?
a) London
b) Paris [CORRECT]
c) Cabo San Lucas
d) Bedford Falls
• According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the eighth day of Christmas?
a) Lords a leaping
b) Maids a milking [CORRECT]
c) Swans a swimming
d) A partridge in a pear tree
-Parade
BS RANDOM JOKE:
When you stop believing in Santa, you get underwear.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the best thing that happened to you in 2020?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: In a survey, over 80% of men said they hate THIS most about the holidays, what is it?
Answer: Wrapping gifts!
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.