Tuesday, December 24, 2024 — Edition: #7863
’Twas The Sheet Before Christmas …
BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
The Bull Sheet will not be publishing during the period December 25, 2024 – January 1, 2025, to allow staff an opportunity to enjoy the holidays. All subscribers will receive account credits for non-service days. Following THIS ISSUE, the next Bull Sheet edition will be for Thursday, January 2nd. Thanks for a great year of BS, and Happy Holidays, all!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ King Charles has switched up tradition and recorded his traditional Christmas broadcast from a former hospital chapel, instead of a royal residence at the end of a difficult year in which he and Kate Middleton were both diagnosed with cancer. The 76-year-old king filmed the address at Fitzrovia Chapel, the former chapel of Middlesex Hospital in London. It has been reported that the speech will reflect on national, international and personal challenges, and how they can be surmounted through community support. It will be the first time in 18 years that the monarch’s Christmas speech wasn’t recorded at a royal estate.
-People
★ “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin plays another iconic Christmas character — Santa Claus — in the music video for Kim Kardashian‘s new cover of the holiday classic ‘Santa Baby’. The found footage-style visual sees a blonde Kardashian crawling through a house party, leading viewers to discover strange and “sort-of” Christmas-themed scenes. These include: models playing Twister, a live donkey accompanied by the Virgin Mary, and Jesus opening a fridge. At the end, Kardashian stumbles upon Santa, and the camera reveals Culkin dressed as St. Nick, and wearing a creepy smirk. LINK: https://youtu.be/QjEMLkgUHXQ
-Variety
★ Blake Lively is blaming Justin Baldoni for not hosting the “Saturday Night Live” Season 50 premiere in September. She filed a legal complaint on Friday, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us” — as well as mounting a smear campaign against her. The filing reads, in part: Given the ongoing nature of the campaign and the associated negative public sentiment, Ms. Lively did not believe she could proceed with public appearances or events without being forced to openly discuss what happened on set.” It also claims that Lively canceled a “critical Target corporate event for her hair care company”. Jean Smart hosted the SNL season opener on Sept. 28.
-NYPost
★ Denzel Washington has become a minister and was just baptized, says TMZ. The outlet published photos showing Washington getting baptized. The religious moment occurred on Saturday at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in New York City. Washington is described in the story as being “dressed in a white robe and burgundy stole adorned with crosses.” He also obtained a minister’s license, with a minister declaring that Washington was now “a member of the clergy of the Churches of God in Christ Worldwide.” He was accompanied at the ceremony by his wife, Pauletta.
-EntertainmentNow
★ Live from New York, it’s the music of “Saturday Night Live”! The documentary “Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music”, directed by Oscar winner Questlove, and Oz Rodriguez, will premiere Jan. 27 on NBC (and stream next day on Peacock). It will feature “untold stories behind the…groundbreaking and newsmaking musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years,” according to the official description. Among the artists featured in interviews are: Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish & Finneas, Dave Grohl, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein, Mick Jagger, Dua Lipa, Justin Timberlake, Chris Stapleton and Jack White.
-TVLine
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Jamie Lee Curtis, Hannah Einbinder, Ava Max (R)
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Mindy Kaling, Saul Trujillo (R)
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Maria Bamford, Murray Hill, Aya Cash (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Charlamagne Tha God, James Van Der Beek (R)
• “GMA3” (ABC): Disney on Broadway stars, Jessica Vosk, Megan Hilty and Michelle Williams, Jordan Fisher and Tyler Hardwick
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Cher, Ted McGinley
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Keith Urban (R)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Demi Moore, Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner (R)
• “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Saweetie (R)
• “Christmas With Andrea Bocelli and Friends: A Grammy Holiday Special” (CBS): Sofia Carson, Josh Groban, Jennifer Hudson and Dua Lipa join the classical music legend for seasonal performances.
• “Home Alone” (ABC): Accidentally left behind by his Paris-bound family, an 8-year-old makes mincemeat of 2 burglars in the house.
• “It’s a Wonderful Life” (NBC): Ruined by a miser on Christmas Eve, a suicidal family man sees life anew thanks to his guardian angel, in this 1946 classic.
CHRISTMAS DAY:
• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (NBC): Boris Karloff narrates an animated tale about the lonely and heartless title character who dresses up as Santa to steal Christmas from the people of Whoville. Followed by the 2000 theatrical remake, starring Jim Carrey.
• “A Christmas Story” (TNT): In the 1940s, little Ralphie tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder range-model BB gun for Christmas.
• “NFL Football” (TSN, Netflix) KC Chiefs @ Pittsburgh Steelers; Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans
THURSDAY:
• “E! News Presents NBC’s Hot 10 of 2024” (NBC): The most unforgettable moments of the year.
• “The Year: 2024” (ABC): Robin Roberts hosts a look back at the top stories, trends and entertainment obsessions that defined the year, with commentary from newsmakers and celebs.
• “2025 World Junior Hockey Championship” (TSN): Slovakia vs Sweden; USA vs Germany; Czechia vs Switzerland; Finland vs Canada
• “NFL Football” (Prime, TSN): Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lady Gaga – In a new interview, she shared some info about her upcoming album, set for release in February, which is currently known as “LG7”. Gaga said the new project doesn’t settle on one genre, but “leaps around genre in a way that’s almost corrupt. And it ends with love.”
• The Weeknd – His movie now has a release date. “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, which has the same name as his upcoming album, will open in theaters May 16. The suspense thriller features him co-starring alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. The album drops Jan. 24.
• Coldplay – Although Chris Martin has vowed the group will stop making music after 12 albums, bassist Guy Berryman isn’t so sure. Quote: “Chris is never going to stop writing, so I kind of take it with a little bit of a pinch of salt. We’re still years away from any kind of retirement.”
• Bruce Springsteen – has digitally released “Bruce Springsteen The Live Series: Songs Under Cover Vol. 3”. It contains 15 live covers, including a 1975 recording of The Shirelles hit ‘Sha-La-La’, a 1978 take on Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘High School Confidential’, a 1984 Bruce version of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Street Fighting Man’, and ‘Ghostbusters’ from his 2024 Halloween show in Montreal.
• The Clash and Prince — are among the artists who will be honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. On the Grammys website, The Clash are hailed as “pioneers in integrating elements of militant reggae, dub, funk, jazz, and hip-hop into their music, while Prince’s tribute states that he is “considered by many to be the greatest artist of all time.” The Grammys are set for Feb. 2.
• Morgan Wallen — Ella Langley shared a pic on Instagram showing the bling she received from him after opening shows on some of his “One Night at a Time Tour” dates this year. A custom-designed necklace arrived in the mail from Wallen himself. It includes an elegant chain with a pendant emblazoned with the phrase “One Night.”
• Brad Paisley – bought his wife Kimberly a hilarious gag Christmas gift as she dealt with a lengthy vocal loss ordeal, a problem for which she eventually underwent vocal cord surgery. But, she told People, it actually turned out to be “one of the kindest things Brad did for me”. What was it? He bought her a bright pink megaphone, which she used to summon the couple’s 2 teen sons at dinnertime.
• Carly Pearce – Following the success of her Michael Bublé collab ‘Maybe This Christmas’, he’s trying to convince her to make a full Christmas album. Bublé told ABC: “People are just clamoring for this. Like I’ve been with [her at the Grand Ole Opry] for 2 days…and this is like the 11th person that’s asked about a Carly Pearce Christmas album.” Her response: “I need to do one. At least an EP, right?”
SHOOTING THE BULL
CHRISTMAS DAY MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “A Complete Unknown” (R, Biopic/Drama): In 1961, unknown 19-year-old Bob Dylan arrives in New York with his guitar. He forges relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village, culminating in a groundbreaking performance that reverberates worldwide. (Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Edward Norton) Tomatometer: 76%
• “Babygirl” (R, Mystery/Thriller): A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. (Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas) Tomatometer: 83%
• “Nosferatu” (R, Fantasy/Horror): A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. (Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård) Tomatometer: 91%
HOLIDAY HOSTING HASSLES:
If you are doing some hosting over the holidays, be prepared to put in the required time. And by that, I don’t mean listening to crazy Aunt Irma’s endless stories of “When I was your age…”. A new poll of 2,000 people who plan to host a get together this season found that 65% believe they will still be housecleaning until the moment their guests arrive. And that’s not even the worst part. The most time-consuming task is preparing meals, according to 40% of respondents. That’s followed by shopping for groceries and essentials (16%) and cleaning the kitchen (10%). As for those of us who won’t be hosting, but will be attending a celebration as a guest, survey respondents said the thing they’d most appreciate help with is setting the dinner table (35%), washing dishes (26%), and taking out the trash (22%). And what’s the WORST thing you could do, as a guest? That would be inviting someone else without letting the host know.
(That’s the WORST thing you could do? These people have obviously never celebrated with my crazy Uncle Larry!)
(Also, don’t talk politics. Or spend all day on your phone. Or complain about the food. Or have an opinion…on anything. Just sit there and tell me I’m pretty!)
-SWNS
“INFLUENCING” YOUR DECISIONS:
It seems the days of asking dear old dad for money advice are becoming a thing of the past. According to a new study, TikTok is fast becoming the main tool social media users go to for financial knowledge. The Talker Research survey found that Americans collected an average of 42 pieces of financial knowledge from TikTok in 2024, and, as you might expect, younger generations lead the way. Gen Z respondents said they absorbed an average of 49 pieces of financial advice from what’s being called “FinTok”, compared to 44 for millennials and 32 for baby boomers. 47% said they used to rely on family members or friends for financial advice, today, today, a remarkable 50% believe they receive superior advice from so-called experts on TikTok.
(Why not? Half of us get our “news” there…)
(I don’t suppose one of those pieces of advice is something along the lines of “If you’d like to stay employed, stop watching TikTok videos at work!”?)
-StudyFinds
THE WORST TV SHOWS OF 2024:
✗ “The Bear”: The restaurant drama starring Jeremy Allen White may have had 2 good seasons, but season 3 was a slog that laid bare the show’s most glaring flaw: it’s not interested in plot. (Ouch!)
✗ “Beast Games”: YouTuber Mr. Beast’s TV show is the “Fyre Festival” of reality shows. It has seen an endless string of controversies, including contestants alleging they were deprived of food and medicine, and 5 who sued Mr. Beast for “chronic mistreatment” and alleged sexual harassment.
✗ “Landman”: “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan’s latest show leans into all of his worst traits and none of his former show’s charm. While Yellowstone viewers mocked him for casting supermodel Bella Hadid as his girlfriend in that show, Landman goes even harder on those dubious instincts.
✗ “Cruel Intentions”: The 1999 movie was a modern classic, but this tired remake is not only unnecessary — it’s worse in every way.
✗ “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?”: Mindless game shows that are nothing more than “content” are a dime a dozen. What’s worse about this one is the cynical use of Travis Kelce and his newly-elevated Taylor Swift fame. He is essentially dangled on a stick for the viewer, with the assumption that people will watch just about anything if a famous face is in it. (It’s ain’t exactly “Jeopardy!”, is it?)
(Expected on next year’s list: Definitely that new Paris Hilton-Nicole Richie show!)
-NYPost
ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS:
★ Wreaths: While the modern Christmas tree originated in Germany, it’s predecessors, laurel wreaths, were hung on doors during times of celebration in ancient Greece and Rome. By the 16th century Lutherans in Germany placed a ring of greenery on their doors during the lead-up to Christmas. Candles were added each day until Christmas, making the wreath also the forbear of another Christmas tradition: the advent calendar. (But not nearly as delicious!)
★ Eggnog: In the 13th century, monks in Great Britain got by in the winter with posset, a punch made from ale, eggs, and figs. By the 17th century, sherry replaced the ale, and it was used to toast the new year. When the British colonized North America, the punch came along, but sherry was replaced with rum, and eggs were used, giving rise to the name. The “nog” part came from an Old English term for a strong alcoholic drink.
★ Cookies for Santa: This tradition only dates back to the 1930s. During the Great Depression, when food and other resources were scarce, parents taught their children gratitude and enerosity by leaving out a cheap, simple snack for the man who brought presents. The idea might have come from Norse mythology, when during period of Yule, children would leave food for Sleipnir, the 8-legged horse of Odin, so it would leave them presents. (And not trample them to death, apparently!)
★ Kissing Under the Mistletoe: This tradition also has its roots in Norse mythology. It was said that Frigg, the mother of the god Baldur, cast a spell to ensure that no plant could ever grow that could harm her son. But the magic skips the mistletoe because it doesn’t grow directly out of the ground, but out of a tree’s branches. Loki made a spear out of the stuff and killed Baldur with it. Frigg then declared mistletoe a symbol of love, which explains why people started kissing underneath the plant.
-BathroomReadersInstitute
DID YOU KNOW?
An astronomer has debunked the theory going around online that states you shouldn’t bother wishing upon a star, because chances are, you’re a million years too late, and the star is likely already dead. Laura Nicole Driessen, a postdoctoral researcher in Radio Astronomy at the University of Sydney, would like to assure you that your wish still has a chance of coming true. She points out that the stars we can see in the night sky are a lot closer and live a lot longer than you might think, and it is unlikely you’ve accidentally wished upon a star that’s already dead. Light from the most distant visible star takes only 10,000 years to reach earth. And even the brightest – and therefore shortest-lasting stars generally stick around for at least a few hundred thousand years. So, chances are that if you’ve seen a star and made a wish upon it, it’s still there. (Thank goodness. I didn’t want to find out that Jiminy Cricket was lying all this time!)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 12.24.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Christmas Eve”, a family gift-giving occasion in many countries, it refers to the evening or the entire day before Christmas Day. Together, both days are considered one of the most culturally significant celebrations in Christianity and Western society.
• “Egg Nog Day”, celebrating the seasonal rum or brandy drink that has nothing good for you in it, but sure tastes good. A coffee spiked with egg nog and brandy is called a ‘tom-tom’. (My family simply refers to it as “yule-fuel!”)
• “Last Minute Shopper’s Day”. Celebrate by going out and purchasing any last-minute gifts or other items you need before Christmas. (See you there!)
WEDNESDAY:
• “Christmas Day”, the annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, observed among billions of people in more than 160 countries. It is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and is the integral part of the holiday season centered around it.
• “Hanukkah” begins tonight. Hanukkah, which is the Hebrew word for “dedication,” is a Jewish celebration that lasts 8 days and 8 nights. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where, according to Jewish belief, a miracle occurred that allowed oil to light a menorah for 8 days, when there only was enough oil for one day. As a result, many celebratory foods are fried in oil during the 8 days.
• “Pumpkin Pie Day”, saluting the holiday favorite, which is especially popular on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The main season for eating pumpkin pie begins with the fall harvest, and ends with Christmas.
• “Kiss the Cook Day”, when all that holiday feasting is over, it’s time to pucker up and show your appreciation to the one who prepared all that delicious food.
• “No ‘L’ Day”. This occasion gets its name by being a pun of the word “noel.” Today, you’re invited to skip the ‘L’ in all correspondences and communications – written or spoken. Noel is another name for a Christmas carol (also French for ‘Christmas’), so it is fitting that No “L” Day takes place on Christmas Day.
THURSDAY:
• “Boxing Day”, a legal holiday in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the UK, which takes its name from the old English tradition of boxing up gifts & food for the less fortunate. It coincides with “St Stephen’s Day”, when churches traditionally opened their collection boxes to the poor. In South Africa, it’s known as “Day of Goodwill”. In Canada, it’s also the excuse for giant after-Christmas sales.
• “Candy Cane Day”. In 1844, a recipe was published for a straight peppermint candy stick, which was white with colored stripes. Literature first mentioned the candy cane in 1866, and it was first mentioned in connection with Christmas in 1874. Since 1882, candy canes have been hung on Christmas trees. Enjoy one today (as if you haven’t already!).
• “Thank-You Note Day”, a day to say thanks for all those gifts — before you forget.
• “National Whiner’s Day”, dedicated to people who whine about unwanted Christmas gifts. (Grinches!)
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1940 [84] Dr. Anthony Fauci, Brooklyn NY, physician-immunologist (Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 1984-2022, Chief Medical Advisor to US President Biden, a lead member of the White House COVID-19 Response Team)
1959 [65] Lee Daniels, Philadelphia PA, movie director (“Precious”, “The Butler”)/TV show creator-exec producer (“Empire” 2015-20, “Star” 2016-19)
1971 [53] Ricky Martin, San Juan Puerto Rico, pop singer (‘La Vida Loca’, ‘She Bangs’)/TV actor (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”, 2018)
1973 [51] Stephenie Meyer, Hartford CT, novelist (The “Twilight Saga”, which sold over 100 million copies worldwide in 37 languages and spawned the movie series)
1974 [50] Ryan Seacrest, Dunwoody GA, TV host (“American Idol” since 2002, “Wheel of Fortune” since 2024, “Live with Kelly and Ryan” 2017-23, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” since 2004/TV producer (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians” 2007-17)/radio personality (“American Top 40”, “On Air With Ryan Seacrest”)
1991 [33] Louis Tomlinson, Doncaster England, pop singer (w/Steve Aoki-‘Just Hold On’, One Direction-‘Story of My Life’)/TV personality (“The X Factor” judge, 2018)
CHRISTMAS DAY: Barbara Mandrell (‘Sleeping Single in a Double Bed’) is 76; Sissy Spacek (“Carrie”) is 75; Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) is 70; Alannah Myles (‘Black Velvet’) is 66; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is 53; Dido (‘White Flag’) is 53
THURSDAY: Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 61; Jared Leto (“Suicide Squad”) is 53; Chris Daughtry (‘It’s Not Over’) is 45; Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”) is 38
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1990 [34] Tom Cruise marries Nicole Kidman, his “Days of Thunder” co-star (it lasts 11 years).
2012 [12] “Odd Couple” and “Quincy” star Jack Klugman dies at age 90.
2014 [10] Sony finally releases the movie “The Interview”, after shelving it due to hacking attacks. (The so-called ‘comedy’ about an attempted assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, proves to be more lame than controversial)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1818 [206] A church choir in Austria introduces a new Christmas song for their Midnight Mass: ‘Stille Nacht!’, better known as ‘Silent Night’.
1978 [46] Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog of ABBA announce they are separating and getting a divorce.
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK CHRISTMAS FACTS:
✓ Many parts of the Christmas tree can be eaten. Needles are a good source of Vitamin C.
✓ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was invented in 1938 as a marketing gimmick to get kids to buy holiday coloring books.
✓ An artificial Christmas tree would have to be reused for more than 20 years to be “greener” than buying a fresh-cut tree annually. (The dog likes a real one better, too.)
✓ Telling scary ghost stories is an old Christmas Eve tradition that has died out in the past century. (At least until Tim Burton came along…)
✓ A large part of Sweden’s population watches Donald Duck cartoons every Christmas Eve. (It sounds weird, but not as weird as watching whatever it is that MY family does on Christmas Eve….)
✓ ‘Silver Bells’ was called ‘Tinkle Bells’ until co-composer Jay Livingston’s wife told him “tinkle” had another meaning.
-List25, OfficeHolidays
Best of BS . . .
BS SIGNS SANTA DOESN’T LIKE YOUR KID:
• Letter to North Pole comes back stamped, “Dream on, pipsqueak!”
• Kid asks for a new bike, gets a box of vapes.
• The giant box under the Christmas tree contains styrofoam peanuts only.
• Instead of ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’, Santa has him on his ‘dork list’.
• The labels on all your kid’s toys read ‘Straight Outta Craptown’.
• Santa’s first words when your kid met him in the mall: “Off my lap, Tubby!”
-First published in BS in 2015
BS WAYS TO HAVE A MERRIER CHRISTMAS:
• Hide all your toys before Christmas Eve, so Santa won’t think you already have too many.
• Do NOT teach your cat to meow ‘Jingle Bells’.
• If you feel down because of holiday weight gain, just remember: You were also fat in August.
• When caroling, if a homeowner throws hot cocoa on you, avoid giving an encore.
• Never tell a Salvation Army volunteer she has a cute pot.
• Never, under any circumstances, stand under a pear tree.
-First published in BS in 2011
BS WEB GOODIE:
The joy of the season, I suppose: https://tinyurl.com/3rccwbwc
BS RANDOM JOKES:
• Nothing is quite as mean as mean as giving a child something useful for Christmas.
• People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas…
☎ BS PHONE STARTER:
What was the most surprising, shocking, or 100% off-base Christmas gift that you were ever given?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: A study found that THIS happens for most people at 2:13pm on December 26th. What is it?
Answer: We hit our family limit!
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.
