Thursday, February 29, 2024 — Edition: #7667
I Love You, Leap Sheet!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
[***UPDATE***]★ Comedian Richard Lewis, the stand-up comic who most recently played a fictionalized version of himself on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” has died. He was 76. Lewis died “peacefully at his home in Los Angeles” on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack, his publicist confirmed. The actor-comedian, who starred in Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” and “Leaving Las Vegas,” announced his retirement from stand-up after revealing his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and 4 surgeries. Lewis had performed for more than 50 years.
-TorStar
★ Former “Real Housewives of New York City” star Leah McSweeney is taking Andy Cohen and Bravo to court. The reality star filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, alleging the defendants had a toxic workplace that encouraged alcohol consumption. She also claims she did not have a safe working environment amid her “alcohol use disorder” and “mental health disorders.” She also accuses Cohen of engaging in “cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” alleging he has a “proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees.”
-ET
★ Prince Harry has lost his bid for taxpayer-funded UK security protection for his family. A London’s High Court judge has ruled that there was no unlawfulness in the initial decision to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their security in Feb. 2020. It found that any departure from the policy was justified and that the decision was not influenced by unfairness. This means that Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, will have to pay out of pocket for their family’s security when visiting the UK. They were stripped of funded police protection after stepping back from being “working royals” and moving to the US.
-NYPost
★ Eugene Levy has joined “Only Murders in the Building” for Season 4. The “Schitt’s Creek” actor will play a recurring role, said to be integral to the twists and turns of the upcoming season’s investigation. Levy joins recent additions Eva Longoria and Molly Shannon for Season 4 of the Hulu murder mystery comedy series.
-TheWrap
★ Mathew Perry’s X account was hacked by scammers trying to pull off a crypto donation scheme through a fraudulent website, says his foundation. A link that was recently advertised as directing would-be donors to make contributions to the late actor’s foundation actually led to a copycat site — but The Matthew Perry Foundation wasted no time calling out the scam as totally bogus, and has regained control of his socials. It also clarified in an IG post that MatthewPerryFoundation.org is the only legitimate site associated with the foundation.
-TMZ
★ “The Young and the Restless” will continue its reign as CBS’ longest-running series. The daytime soap has been renewed for 4 more seasons, taking it through its season 55. After premiering on March 26, 1973, the show celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. This season, The Young and the Restless has averaged 3.5 million viewers, marking its 36th year of being the most-watched daytime drama series.
-TheWrap
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Eugene Levy, Anna Sawai, The Kid LAROI
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Millie Bobby Brown, Gordon Cormier, ScHoolboy Q
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): TBA
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): W. Kamau Bell, Nish Kumar, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Jamie Dornan, Fred Armisen
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Annaleigh Ashford, Danielle Olivera
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Rex Chapman, host Michael Kosta
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Laurence Fishburne
• “The Talk” (CBS): Dr. Phil McGraw, Michael Twitty
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Jim Gaffigan, DJ Steve Aoki and Lil Jon
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Andy Cohen, Candiace Dillard-Bassett and Dr. Wendy Osefo, Jamie Lee Curtis
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Boy George, Chloe Fineman, Reba McEntire
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Magic Johnson, Nicole Avant
• “Law & Order (NBC): When NYPD responds to the scene of an active shooter in a nearby hospital, Shaw is shocked at his connection to the suspect. Followed by new episodes of “SVU” and “Organized Crime”.
• “So Help Me Todd” (CBS): Margaret and Todd defend the “Queen of Hearts,” a notoriously unscrupulous lawyer accused of orchestrating a fraudulent accident.
• “Farmer Wants a Wife” (Fox): The farmers and the ladies head to Ty’s farm for a roping competition and hoedown-themed mixer.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé’ – Her new single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ has jumped to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a week after it debuted at #2. It’s her 9th #1 on the list, her first since ‘Break My Soul’ in 2022. A week ago, it hit #1 on the Top Country Songs chart, and remains there.
• Ariana Grande — After weeks dribbling out a few titles at a time, she has finally posted the full tracklist to her new album “Eternal Sunshine”. On Insta, she revealed the song titles ‘Saturn Returns Interlude’, ‘The Boy Is Mine’, ‘Imperfect for You’ and ‘Ordinary Things’ feat. Nonna. The rest of the song titles were previously announced. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/47h72r2x
• Daft Punk – Wax figures of the duo have been unveiled at Madame Tussauds New York. Capturing the pair in their Random Access Memories-era silk and velvet suits, the figures debuted in the facility’s “Glow Gala” area, alongside figures including Ariana Grande, Matthew McConaughey, Rihanna and Beyoncé.
• Foreigner – Mick Jones’ stepson Mark Ronson continued his campaign to help get the group voted into the Rock Hall of Fame on Monday, visiting Jimmy Fallon with a video showing support from Paul McCartney. The Beatle was seen in his car, saying: “Foreigner not in the Hall of Fame? What the [BLEEP]?” LINK: https://youtu.be/vnEAviLX-zw
• The Who and Jimi Hendrix – are among the slew of musicians whose digitized music was included in a time capsule on the Odysseus space craft, which touched down on the moon February 22. The time capsule features music from 222 artists, also including Elvis Presley, Santana, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and Chuck Berry.
• Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and John Mellencamp (plus others) – are all set to play the touring Outlaw Music Festival in the US this summer. 25 shows have been announced, using various combinations of those artists, starting June 21 in Alpharetta GA. Brittney Spencer, Celisse and Southern Avenue will open select shows. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/3s4xbhjm
• Kelsea Ballerini — will return for the 4th straight year to host the CMT Music Awards, April 7, on CBS. Unlike in previous years, she’ll host the show alone. She’ll also perform at the event, which will be broadcast live from Moody Center in Austin TX.
• Keith Urban – At about 2:45am on Tuesday, this cryptic message appeared on his socials: “hey…what are you doin’ right now?” That was the caption for an image showing a clock with its hands at 2:45 and the words “Big Ben” on it. It also included the lyrics(?): “I’M OUT TONIGHT AND I’M FEELIN’ LIKE/I SHOULD CALL YOU UP/AND MAYBE TAKE A SHOT/THAT YOU’RE WIDE AWAKE/AT A QUARTER TO 3″. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/4rtec3ww
SHOOTING THE BULL
A LEAP OF FAITH?
It’s the day we’ve been waiting 4 years for: “Leap Day”. But what if we DIDN’T add an extra day to the end of February every 4th year (unless the year is also divisible by 100. And to make matters even more confusing, a leap day is still added in years divisible by 400). What would happen? Nothing good. Eventually, all major events would fall out of whack in relation to the calendar, such as when farmers plant and how seasons align with the sun and moon. In a few hundred years, we’d even have Christmas in summer (in the Northern Hemisphere). But not everyone is a supporter of Leap Day. Steve Hanke, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, argues that the current calendar, in which dates occur on different days of the week each year, creates scheduling problems and confusion around holiday dates. He and astrophysics professor Dick Henry have created the Hanke–Henry Permanent Calendar, a new calendar that would implement an occasional leap week, rather than leap day. It would make every day on the calendar the same day of the week, year after year. So, Jan. 1 would always be a Monday, Christmas Day would also always be on a Monday, etc. Every 6 years, there would be an extra 5 days at the end of December, which Hanke says would “eliminate calendar drift.”
(Ah, so instead of “Leapers” only having a birthday every 4 years, we’d have a week’s worth of babies who only have one every SIX years!)
(As long as my birthday falls on a Saturday, I’m good with it!)
-CP, NPR
FAST FOOD FAST FACTS:
❑ [***UPDATE: Wendy’s has now said it has no plans to raise menu prices at times of peak demand, after the burger chain was scorched on social media for comments its CEO made, suggesting the chain may start testing “dynamic pricing”***] Burger chain Wendy’s plans to test having the prices of its food fluctuate throughout the day, based on demand. During a conference call earlier this month, Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said the restaurant will start testing ‘dynamic pricing’, also known as ‘surge pricing’, as early as next year. The pricing strategy, which raises costs to consumers according to demand, has already taken hold with ride-sharing companies and ticket sellers. (And, of course, they also plan to test a “dynamic working” pay increase for staff during busy times, right??)
❑ If you’re grabbing a quick meal, why force yourself to decide between fried chicken and pizza, when you can have both? This week, KFC debuted the “Chizza” in the US. First introduced in the Philippines in 2015, the Chizza consists of 2 white meat chicken filets lathered in marinara sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni. So, basically pizza with fried chicken instead of dough. While the company is not specifically saying whether this is a limited-time item, it did recommend that you “Try it while you can!” (It’ll definitely have limited availability in MY neighborhood, if I have anything to do with it!)
LINK: http://tinyurl.com/5n8v72p8
-CP, People
WEIGHT AND SEE:
The old trope is that wedding cake is the most fattening food out there, but according to a new study, men are more likely than women to gain weight after marriage. Research published in the journal Economics & Human biology indicates that marriage has a positive effect on body mass index on males – significantly within the first 5 years of getting married. There was no clear correlation for females. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Social Science found that marriage is associated with a 5.2% increase in the prevalence of becoming overweight for men, and a 2.5% rise in obesity. The scientists noted that these results came as a result of men eating more and exercising less as the marriage continued.
(Well, I’m happy to see that all those hours she’s been spending with Svend the personal trainer have been paying off…!)
(So, as you can see, my first marriage didn’t “work out” for me – in more ways than one!)
-NYPost
THINGS THE WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF:
⇒ Peanuts: Growing them demands very specific temperatures, with anything over 86°F (30°C) considered too hot. Warming temperatures are making peanut regions too hot.
⇒ Chocolate: The warming climate is leading to a shortage of cocoa and making it more costly to produce. (Wow. After those first 2, I don’t feel too good about the future of peanut butter cups, either!)
⇒ Vanilla: More than 80% of the world’s vanilla supply comes from Madagascar. The problem? Deforestation and problems with workers there are putting at risk the vanilla exports that so many products depend on. (Well, as long as we still have chocolate…wait…!)
⇒ Sand: I know, right? But actually, there are only a limited number of places where sand that’s suitable for concrete can be found: mainly in rivers and lakes. Sand from deserts is too fine.
⇒ Antibiotics: Our bodies are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics and limiting their effectiveness. This comes from overuse, so a shortage, as seen somewhat during the pandemic, might not be completely negative for us.
⇒ Coffee: Between deforestation in coffee-producing countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, and global warming, a coffee shortage is expected to hit Europe in the next few years. If things get worse, you can expect prices to go WAAY up. (Thankfully, it seems I’ll be spending much less on sand and antibiotics by then…)
⇒ Rubber: Really? Rubber? In recent years, flooding and the spread of plant-based diseases are stopping rubber production from keeping up with demand. Experts are scrambling to find a solution before it send ripple effects through the global economy.
⇒ Copper: A huge gap in supply is on the horizon, and guess what? In order to transition to green energy, the infrastructure will need to be built using copper – in things like solar panels and wind farms.
⇒ Avocados and Bananas: Avocados require fertilizer, and during the Ukraine conflict, trade with Russia has been blocked, and they used to supply 1/3 of the fertilizer needed. As for bananas, a new infection is causing much concern. Scientists are working on it.
⇒ Bees, of course: They’re an essential part of our ecosystem, pollinating 80% of flowering plants in the world, almost all of which we depend on, in one way or another. That’s why we must preserve them. (Plus, you know…honey!)
-List25
DID YOU KNOW?
When it comes to your job, money talks, but gratitude goes even further. A new study has found that while many workers say pay raises are the “most meaningful” form of appreciation in the workplace, even more would appreciate a simple “thank you.” The poll of 2,000 employed Americans found 55% prefer having personalized forms of gratitude given to them in the workplace – while 52% said they’d prefer a raise. The OnePoll survey revealed 2 in 5 people don’t feel appreciated by their bosses for the work they do. And instead of gratitude or a raise, 28% said they’d just like a promotion. (…which probably comes with a raise!)
-SWNS
BS CHRONOMETER 02.29.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Leap Year Day”, the calendar correction that occurs every 4 years. A few facts …
– In Leap Years (aka ‘bissextile’ years), a day is added to bring our Gregorian calendar more into accord with Earth’s orbital period … roughly 365.2422 days.
– If we didn’t have Leap Year, our calendar would become so out-of-line it would need a major adjustment like in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII declared October 5th to be October 15th, and 10 entire days instantly disappeared.
– On the Chinese calendar, this day only occurs in years of the ‘dragon’(as is this year), ‘monkey,’ or ‘rat’.
– Years that are divisible by 100 but not by 400, do NOT contain a leap day. So: 1900, no; 2000, yes.
– Years in which Summer Olympics are held are also Leap Years.
– In Greece, it is considered unlucky to marry on Leap Day.
(***See “Whack Leap Year Facts”, below***)
LINK: http://www.leapyearday.com
• “Bachelor’s Day”. It only falls on Feb. 29th. It’s also known as “Ladies Privilege” – the day women are customarily allowed to propose to their favourite bachelor. The origin of the tradition is an agreement struck between St Bridgid and St Patrick in the 5th century.
• “International Underlings Day”, appropriately only held on Feb. 29, it recognizes the insignificant peons that surround us. (So, buy your co-host a coffee!)
• “Repetitive Strain Injuries Awareness Day”, the 25th annual, sponsored by the Industrial Accident Prevention Association. While it takes a worker an average 47 days to recover from a broken bone, a worker suffering from an ‘RSI’, such as tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, takes an average 52 days or 71 days, respectively.
• “Digital Learning Day”, celebrating the use of digital technology in learning and, in particular, highlighting innovative and forward-thinking uses of technology for learning in the classroom.
• “Frog Legs Day”. Thank God it only happens once every 4 years! LINK: http://tinyurl.com/y2e5kesk
• “Rare Disease Day”, established in 2008 as an annual observance on the last day of February to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment. A disease or disorder is defined as rare in Europe when it affects less than 1-in-2000 people; and in the USA if it affects fewer than 200,000 in total.
LINK: http://www.rarediseaseday.org
• “Worldwide Leap Year Festival” in Anthony TX, the self-proclaimed ‘Leap Year Capital of the World’. Since 1988 ‘leapers’ have come from all over to celebrate their special birthday in this little town that sits on the border with New Mexico (the festival is running March 1-2 this year…) LINK: https://leapyearfestival.com/
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
[Fri] Pig Day
[Sat] World Teen Mental Wellness Day
[Sun] Canadian Bacon Day
This Month is…Vegan Cuisine Month
This Month is…Spunky Old Broads Month
LEAP DAY CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1960 [16 or 64] Tony Robbins, North Hollywood CA, motivational speaker/author (“Awaken the Giant Within”)
1972 [13 or 52] Antonio Sabato Jr, Rome, Italy, TV actor (“The Bold & The Beautiful” 2005-06, “General Hospital” 1992-95)/fashion model (Calvin Klein)
1976 [12 or 48] Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins), Queens NY, rapper (‘Livin’ It Up’, f/Ashanti-‘Mesmerize’)/sometime movie actor (“The Fast & The Furious”)/fraudulent “Fyre Festival” co-founder
1984 [10 or 40] Mark Foster, Milpitas CA, indie-pop-rock singer/guitarist (Foster the People-‘Pumped Up Kicks’)
ON THIS DATE . . .
1984 [40] After a contemplative “walk in the snow”, Pierre Trudeau announces he is stepping down after 15 years as Canadian Prime Minister
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1940 [84] Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Oscar, for her role in “Gone With The Wind”
2004 [20] “The Lord Of the Rings: The Return Of the King” wins 11 Academy Awards, sweeping every category in which it’s nominated (ties the record haul of “Ben-Hur” and “Titanic”)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1968 [56] The Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” becomes the first rock LP to win a Grammy for Album of the Year
2012 [12] Former teen idol Davy Jones of The Monkees dies at age 66, following a heart attack
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2012 [12] Tokyo Skytree is completed, the tallest tower in the world at 634 meters (2,080 feet) and 2nd-tallest man-made structure, next to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK LEAP YEAR FACTS:
✓ February 29, or “Leap Day”, was officially known as “Bissextile Day” in the Julian and the Gregorian calendar.
✓ Leap Day has often been celebrated as “Bachelors’ Day” or “Sadie Hawkins Day”, traditionally when girls can ask a guy out. The tradition of women proposing to men on this day dates back to 5th-Century Ireland.
✓ A person born on a Leap Day is called a “29er”, a “leapling” or a “leaper”. The odds of being born on February 29th are 1-in-1,461.
✓ The Henriksen family from Norway set the Guinness World Record for the most children born on February 29 in the same family, with children born in 1960, 1964 and 1968. American family the Estes tied the record, with Leapers born in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
✓ Leap Day affects us in many ways: inmates serve an extra day in jail, but it’s unlikely your bank will give you an extra day’s interest. And this may make you want to take the day off: Unless you get paid by the hour or per day, in the grand scheme of things, you’re working for free today.
✓ The official name for a non-Leap Year is a “Common Year”.
-ListsO’Plenty, CBC
Best of BS:
BS REASONS IT’S GOOD TO BE A ‘LEAPER’:
There are about 5 million people worldwide who were born on February 29th. Here are some of the advantages they share …
• Your house isn’t all cluttered up with thoughtful birthday gifts.
• You still get to pay children’s price at the movies.
• Lack of birthday cake has kept you relatively thin.
• Dumb people think you’re supernatural.
• How many other people get a car on their 4th birthday?
• Between your birthday and Groundhog Day, February’s a non-stop party!
-First published in BS 2012
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ Today is February 29th, “Leap Day”. February is a very important month. Every 4 years, it contains Leap Day, which is contrived to mask a fatal flaw in your calendar. And it has “Valentine’s Day”, which is contrived to mask a fatal flaw in your relationship!)
➠ Jen Pawol has become the first woman to umpire an MLB spring training game since 2007. (I can’t wait until she throws someone out of a game for something they did 2 years ago…!)
➠ Cornell University researchers discovered the best place in America to hide from a zombie apocalypse is the Rocky Mountains. (They also discovered the best place in America to hide from doing real research is Cornell University!)
➠ A Wisconsin man was arrested after he walked into a Denny’s, claimed he was the new manager, and cooked himself a cheeseburger. (Police knew the man was an imposter because the cheeseburger was actually pretty good!)
➠ Honestly, February 29th feels no different than any other day. When you get the morning paper, the sun will still be shining, the birds will still sing… (and the neighbors will once again say: “Tie your bathrobe, creep!”)
BS WEB GOODIE:
…and don’t even get him STARTED on the medicine cabinet: http://tinyurl.com/4pae39nj
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Why even have a leap day, when we could just sleep in an extra hour 6 times a year?
BS PHONE STARTER:
What happens regularly that would horrify a person from 100 years ago?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 1 in 4 people say THIS is their favorite smell. What is it?
Answer: A campfire
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Happy Leap Day. A day where ‘this time last year’ and ‘this time next year’ does not apply.
