Wednesday, February 12, 2025 – Edition: #7892

We Give a Sheet!

 

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Elle Fanning, Whoopi Goldberg, Scarlett Johansson, John Lithgow, Amy Poehler, June Squibb and Bowen Yang will be presenting at the 2025 Oscars, the Academy has announced. They join last year’s acting winners Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Emma Stone in handing out statuettes on March 2, when the 97th Academy Awards take place at the Dolby Theatre Ovation Hollywood, hosted by Conan O’Brien. More names of participating talent will be announced over the coming weeks.
-TheWrap
★ In 2024, for the first time ever, an equal number of films featuring female protagonists, compared to males, were offered. According to USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s latest report, which assesses gender, race/ethnicity and age of leading and co-leading actors for movies, female leads finally hit parity last year. Of the 100 top-grossing films in 2024, 54 featured a girl or woman in a lead or co-lead role. This marks a significant jump from 2023, where only 30 movies featured a female-identified protagonist.
-TheWrap
★ NBC has announced its latest list of A-listers who will appear on “SNL:50 The Anniversary Special”. Joining an already impressive list of big names will be: Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Chevy Chase, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Fred Armisen, Garrett Morris, and Jane Curtin. Want more? Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Wiig, Laraine Newman, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell, Will Forte — and more. The live 3-hour telecast from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center is set for Sunday, Feb. 16 on NBC and Peacock.
-Deadline
★ At long last, HBO has dropped a first look at season 3 of “Euphoria”, 3 years after the celebrated teen drama was renewed. Emmy winner Zendaya returns as recovering addict ‘Rue Bennett’, who somberly gazes over her shoulder in a darkened room in the new production photo. Disputing rumors of a cancellation late last year, HBO confirmed that production for season 3 would begin in early 2025 with the same principal cast returning, with the exception of Barbie Ferreira. As for the synopsis, creator Sam Levinson previously described season 3 as a “film noir,” and, through Rue, would “explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/9tjdt5nn
-EW
★ Amy Poehler is launching her own podcast. The weekly series “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” will launch next month, she has revealed. The weekly series marks her latest podcast after she launched the scripted comedy pod “Say More With Dr? Sheila” in 2023. Good Hang is just the latest in a long line of celebrity podcasts. In the last month alone, both “How I Met Your Mother” and “Ugly Betty” have set launches for official rewatch podcasts with stars Josh Radnor and Michael Urie, and Becki Newton, respectively.
-TheWrap

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Edward Norton, Chris Distefano, MJ Lenderman
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Leo Woodall, Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Drew Barrymore, Brandon Scott Jones (R)
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Jon Hamm, Emily Spivey
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Josh Peck, Kurt Braunohler, Taylor Ortega (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Lindsay Hubbard, Ciara Miller
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Colman Domingo, host Jordan Klepper
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Cheri Oteri, Laraine Newman
• “Today” (NBC): The cast of The White Lotus, Rachel Dratch, Bowen Yang, Mikey Day co-hosts
• “GMA3” (ABC): Fernanda Torress, chef Bailey Ruskus
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Noah Wyle
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Joanna Garcia Swisher
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Ke Huy Quan,
• “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Johnny Gill
• “4 Nations Face-Off” (SN, TNT): Canada vs. Sweden from Bell Centre in Montreal. It’s the first game of the round-robin tournament featuring national teams of Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.
• “The Masked Singer” (Fox): Season 13 premiere.
• “Abbott Elementary” (ABC): Ava and the Abbott teachers plan for the annual school district budget meeting; Janine and Gregory prepare for Valentine’s Day as a couple.
• “Hollywood Squares” (CBS): Celeb guests include Whitney Cummings, Andra Day, Mickey Guyton, Pete Holmes, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Leno, Tiffany Haddish and Dionne Warwick.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• The Weeknd – His album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” has debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 490,500 units — more than any album since Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” in 2024. It’s also The Weeknd’s largest sales week ever.
• Tate McRae — has gone viral after a fan posted a video on X of her appearing to predict the exact score the Philadelphia Eagles would beat the Kansas City Chiefs by – in Sept. 2023. On a Philadelphia radio station, she was asked to share her prediction on an upcoming game. Her answer: “This is football right? I think it’s gonna be 70 and…No, it’s going to be 40 and 22.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ymptak93
• Ed Sheeran – His street performance in India was shut down by cops. Video shows an officer unplugging Ed’s microphone while he’s singing ‘Shape of You’ on a street in Bengaluru. Sheeran tells the crowd: “We have the permission to be here, but this policeman is shutting it down, so I’ll see you later.”
• David Johansen – The ex-New York Dolls singer, who also performed as Buster Poindexter, has revealed a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis that was discovered more than 5 years ago. A statement says he has also been diagnosed with a brain tumor, “leading to complications ever since.” In Nov., he also fell and broke his back in 2 places. There is a fundraiser for his medical care. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ycyuvyuj
• The Doobie Brothers — will launch a North American tour in August, following the release of their reunion album with Michael McDonald, “Walk This Road”. Special guests on all stops are the Coral Reefer Band, who performed with Jimmy Buffett until his death in 2023. Tickets go on sale Friday.
• Kenny Chesney – is now an author. He’ll will release his first book, “HEART*LIFE*MUSIC,” written with William Morrow, on Nov. 4. It’s the story of his journey from small town East Tennessee dreamer to headlining stadiums and making music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas. He says it isn’t a memoir, but “almost a love letter to people who shaped and inspired me.”
• Riley Green – Monday, he dropped his new single ‘Worst Way’. It’s from his latest album, “Don’t Mind If I Do.” Earlier this month, Green also performed the song on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
• Chris Lane — has dropped a new breakup song with perhaps one of the most “country music” song titles ever. In ‘What Am I Supposed to Tell the Dog’, the singer ruminates on explaining his heartbroken state to his pup. He’ll be hitting the road with Rascal Flatts for their “Life Is A Highway Tour” beginning tomorrow in Evansville IN. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/n8vwry94
• HARDY – is hitting the road for his “Jim Bob World Tour”. Kicking off May 22 in Chula Vista CA, it’ll hit various cities in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe before wrapping Sept. 24 in New York City. Tickets go on sale Friday. LINK: www.hardyofficial.com .

SHOOTING THE BULL

CLASSIC BACH:
You may have heard that playing music before a baby is born is good for their mental development. But now, scientists are saying that it can be good for physical development too – as long as its classical music that you play for them. The American Institute of Physics has published research from a team in Mexico that studied the effect of classical music on a fetal heartbeat. The scientists say they found evidence that classical music can calm the heart rate of unborn babies, which in turn could provide developmental benefits, especially to the nervous system. The researchers say increased development of the nervous system is an indicator of healthier development. They suggest that expectant parent consider “exposing their fetuses to quiet music”, such as classical.
(Hey, if it also makes the kid hate ‘Baby Shark’ after it’s born – I’m all for it!)
(It looks like my unborn baby will know more about Beethoven than I do!)
-GoodNewsNetwork

NEW VALENTINE’S DAY FOOD NEWS:
⇒ So you say you “love” pizza? Then this is for you. Domino’s UK has launched a pepperoni-inspired perfume for Valentine’s Day. The limited-edition scent, named “Eau de Passion”, is a nod to its Pepperoni Passion pizza and is said to have irresistible notes of spice, pepper and a woody, warm base. The perfume is the first scent launched by Domino’s, which previously created a heat suit for its drivers to stay warm in winter, and a jetpack suit to help deliver pizzas to hungry music festivalgoers. (Speaking from experience, though, if you eat enough pizza, you already smell like the stuff, anyway!)
⇒ If you’re looking to treat your Valentine to something special, and you don’t have steak, lobster and champagne money, Waffle House has you covered. More than 200 locations in the US are again taking reservations for Feb. 14, when they dim the lights, break out the tablecloths and candles, and offer special V-Day menu items for you and that special someone. Valentine’s Day is the only day of the year the restaurant takes reservations, a tradition that began in 2008. This year’s meal might cost a little more than usual, though. Last week, Waffle House announced it is adding a 50-cent surcharge per egg due to the “nationwide rise in cost of eggs.” Call now to book your table. (…Or as the Waffle House crowd says it: “Kin I mak wonna dem rezzavation thangs?”)
-SWMS, USAToday

ANXIETY SUBVARIETY:
You might have experienced this during the Super Bowl – or more likely, during the halftime show. A new survey says that for 1 in 3 people, some of life’s best moments have been ruined by “bathroom anxiety”. Bathroom anxiety – or what many are now calling “pee-xiety” – is defined as anxiety that strikes when people feel trapped in situations that prevent them having access to a bathroom. The condition affects 51% of adults, making it a widespread but rarely discussed aspect of modern life. A Talker Research poll of 2,000 Americans found that a whopping 92% have deliberately postponed bathroom visits to avoid missing significant moments. And nearly a quarter said they do so regularly, to stay present during what they perceive as exciting or important events. And, sorry for the mental picture, but 35% have missed these big moments due to unavoidable bathroom urgency. Examples? Things missed in favor of staring at a stall wall include a child’s first step, epic concert finales and once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities. One-third of respondents reported missing major sporting moments while attending to nature’s call, including…
• A Cleveland Browns fan missed Bernie Kosar’s record-breaking completion streak while waiting in a bathroom line.
• One missed Malcolm Butler’s game-changing interception during Super Bowl XLIX.
• A bathroom break superseded LeBron James’s legendary block during the 2016 NBA Finals.
• Another person reported missing Joe Carter’s historic home run that secured the 1992 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays.
(‘Pee-xiety’ due to not having access to a bathroom? I get that every morning. Why? I have teenagers!)
(Back in my college days, the only bathroom anxiety came with the thought of having to go in there!)
-StudyFinds

THE MOST-STREAMED LOVE SONGS OF ALL-TIME:
Spotify compiled a list of the Top 10 most streamed love songs of all time, and here they are…
1. ‘Perfect’ — Ed Sheeran
2. ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ — James Arthur
3. ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ — Arctic Monkeys
4. ‘Yellow’ – Coldplay
5. ‘Photograph’ — Ed Sheeran
6. ‘The Night We Met’ — Lord Huron
7. ‘Thinking Out Loud’ — Ed Sheeran
8. ‘Die For You’ — The Weeknd
9. ‘All Of Me’ — John Legend
10. ‘Just The Way You Are’ — Bruno Mars
(OK – now you tell us what’s YOUR most-streamed love song…)
-10Play

FUNNIEST TWEETS OF THE WEEK FROM WOMEN:
⇒ the eras tour has ruined me…. I just looked up Super Bowl ticket prices just for fun and my initial reaction was “oh, that’s not bad at all” — alexis
⇒ Sugar company: What if we sell it in a paper bag that’s not fully sealed at the bottom? — Kristen
⇒ sorry for the delayed response i was trying to figure out how to say “no” in the nicest way possible — erica
⇒ If I worked at a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, I’d secretly drop fake engagement rings into random drinks—just to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. Bon appétit! — sixfootcandy
⇒ If you let them shenan once, they’ll shenanigan. – B, The Favorite Ex-GF
⇒ can’t explain it but knowing someone named cody is for when you’re a teenager – sarah hagi
⇒ why would i finish my thought when i could have a new, more exciting one – erika
-HuffPost

DID YOU KNOW?
(***Preview for content***) Some words just flat-out SOUND funny. And researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK have determined which are the 5 funniest-sounding. They showed nearly 5,000 randomly selected words to over 800 online participants, and determined that the funniest and wackiest words are, in order: “booty,” “tit,” “booby,” “hooter,” “nitwit,” “twit,” “waddle,” “tinkle,” “bebop,” “egghead,” “ass,” and “twerp”. Younger participants (under 32) were most amused by words like “goatee,” “joint,” and “gangster.” And older respondents found words like “squint,” “jingle,” “burlesque,” and “pong,” to be the most comical. And perhaps not surprisingly, men found words with a sexual association (like “orgy” and “bondage”) to be the funniest. (Still, there’s nothing funnier than an old-fashioned donnybrook!)
-StudyFinds

BS CHRONOMETER 02.12.25

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Hug Day”. Hugs release the hormone oxytocin into the bloodstream. This helps lower blood pressure, heart rate, and the stress hormone cortisol. It also reduces anxiety, improves mood, and increases bonding. “Hug” was first used around 1610, to describe a wrestling hold. It began being used for its current meaning in the 1650s.
• “Darwin Day”, commemorating the birth anniversary of Charles Darwin on this date in 1809, and to highlight his contribution to science. (I understand he wasn’t always an evolutionist–he slowly became one over time…)
• “Lincoln’s Birthday”, celebrating the birth of the 16th president of the USA (1861-65). The “President’s Day” holiday (Feb. 17 this year), honors the birthdays of both Presidents Lincoln and Washington.
• “Lost Penny Day”, set aside to collect all of those wasted pennies stashed in jars and drawers around the house, and donate them to charity. Because a penny saved is … a waste of time.
• “National Freedom to Marry Day”, a non-official United States holiday to salute same-sex marriage. It was this date in 2004 that The city of San Francisco began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
• “Plum Pudding Day”, celebrating the pudding is also known as Christmas pudding because it is usually served during the holiday season. It is popular in the UK and other places where it was brought by the British, such as Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. (Ever notice there are no plums in there?)
• “Paul Bunyan Day”, celebrating the gigantic lumberjack who was “born” on this date in 1834, according to American folklore. The story says it took 5 giant storks to deliver Paul to his parents. His first bed was a lumber wagon pulled by a team of horses. As an adult, Bunyan and his blue ox ‘Babe’ travelled around country where he became known for his logging feats.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Thurs] Italian Food Day
[Thurs] World Radio Day
[Fri] Valentine’s Day
[Sat] Singles Awareness Day
This Week is…Flirting Week
This Month is…Blah Buster Month

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1938 [87] Judy Blume, Elizabeth NJ, author (“Are you There God? It’s Me, Margaret”, “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”)

1951 [74] Gil Moore, Toronto ON, rock drummer-singer (Triumph-‘Magic Power’, ‘Lay it on the Line’)/owner of Toronto’s Metalworks recording studio

1952 [73] Michael McDonald, St. Louis MI, pop-rock singer-keyboardist (w/Patti LaBelle-‘On My Own’, Doobie Brothers-‘What A Fool Believes’, ‘Takin’ It to the Streets’)

1956 [69] Arsenio Hall, Cleveland OH, TV host (“The Arsenio Hall Show” 1989-1994, 2013-14)/movie actor (“Coming to America”, “Coming 2 America”)

1968 [57] Chynna Phillips, Los Angeles CA, pop singer (Wilson Phillips-‘Hold On’, ‘Release Me’)/daughter of The Mamas & the Papas singers John and Michelle Phillips, married to William Baldwin since 1995

1968 [57] Josh Brolin, Los Angeles CA, movie actor (‘Thanos’ in “Avengers” movies, “No Country For Old Men”, “Dune” movies)/stepson of Barbra Streisand. COMING UP… “The Running Man” 2025

1970 [55] Jim Creeggan, Scarborough ON, pop-rock bassist (Barenaked Ladies-‘If I Had $1,000,000’, ‘One Week’)

1979 [46] Jesse Spencer, Melbourne Australia (“Chicago Fire” 2012-23, “House” 2004-12)

1980 [45] Christina Ricci, Santa Monica CA, movie actress (“Addams Family” films, “Casper”)/TV actress (“Wednesday” 2022, “Yellowjackets” since 2021)

1993 [32] Jennifer Stone, Arlington TX, TV actress (“Wizards of Waverly Place 2007-12)/movie actress (“Mean Girls 2”)

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2000 [25] Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, creator of “Peanuts”, dies at 77.

2022 [03] Ivan Reitman, the Slovak-Canadian movie director and producer (“Stripes”, “Ghostbusters”) dies at 75

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2005 [20] Led Zeppelin is awarded a ‘Lifetime Achievement Grammy’. (One of the biggest rock groups ever, they never won a Grammy Award during their 12-year history.)

2017 [08] Adele opens the Grammys with a performance of ‘Hello’, which wins Song and Record of the Year. She also wins Album of the Year for “25”, making her the first to hit that trifecta twice, a feat she accomplished in 2012 with “21”, and the song ‘Rolling In The Deep’.

2023 [02] Following her Super Bowl halftime show where she performed on a suspended platform and on a stage with 80 dancers in Glendale AZ, Rihanna confirms she’s pregnant with her second child.

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2009 [16] General Motors reports a record loss of $40 billion for the previous year, and offers buyouts to 74,000 workers.

BULL’S BITS 

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The average man gets bored during a shopping trip with his wife or girlfriend after just 26 minutes.
✓ People who can eat whatever they want and stay slim have a slow metabolism, not a fast one.
✓ Beavers don’t actually live in dams. They live in a lodge built behind a dam.
✓ Nostrils take turns receiving the majority of the air you breathe, which explains why one is usually stuffier than the other.
✓ “Huh?” is understood in all languages.
✓ The German version of the term “Average Joe” is “Otto Normalverbraucher”, which translates to “Otto normal consumer.”
-BBC, MentalFloss

Best of BS . . .
BS ALTERNATE NAMES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY:
• You’d Better Get Her Something Even if She Says She Doesn’t Want Anything Day
• Netflix and Ch…ocolate Day
• You Didn’t Get Her The Right Gift For Christmas Do-Over Day
• Keep Florists in Business Day
• Make Singles’ Self Esteem Plummet Day
• Unrealistic Expectations Day
• Cheesy Card Day
• Procrastinate Getting Your Significant Other Something Until the Day Before Day
• Please Forgive Me for Everything in the Past Year Day
• Discount Chocolate Eve
• Festivus
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018

BS THINGS OVERHEARD AT THE DMV:
• “This is just the line to get into the line.”
• “Ma’am, I’ve taken 3 different photos of you. At this point, I’m sure your face is the issue.”
• “What’s the holdup? I got two IDs here last week and it took no time at all.”
• “It can’t be a good sign that they just ran out of numbers.”
• “Can I use a selfie for my photo?”
• “I’ll need to see 3 proofs of address, a blood test, a colonoscopy and an exorcism.”
• “See this furniture? We made that in prison.”
• “While you’re here, would you like us to screw up your voter registration as well?”
• “Please take a number and someone will be with you in 3-5 business days.”
• “Here’s your sign.”
• “Are you telling me I could have done this online?”
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2020

BS WEB GOODIE:
That’s how she goes sometimes (***Caution – language***):  https://tinyurl.com/5n6zvu5n

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I have good problem-solving skills, but my problem-creating skills are where I really shine.

VALENTINE’S DAY ‘WOULD YOU RATHER’:
(***You run down the list while your caller decides which choice is more palatable …***)
• Would you rather get a giant teddy bear, or a box of chocolates as a gift?
• Would you rather eat only heart-shaped candy, or red jelly beans for a week?
• Would you rather give flowers to someone, or get flowers from someone?
• Would you rather have a never-ending box of chocolates. or a flower bouquet that never wilts?
• Would you rather receive a heart-shaped balloon or a heart-shaped pizza?
• Would you rather write a love poem, or draw a love-themed picture?
• Would you rather have heart confetti fall on you every time you talk, or wear heart-shaped sunglasses all day?
• Would you rather have a Valentine’s Day dance-off, or a Valentine’s Day singing contest?
• Would you rather Netflix…or chill?

☎ BS PHONE STARTER:
What food do you crave most often?

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
According to a recent poll, 19% of couples plan to do THIS on Valentine’s Day. What is it?
Answer:  Eat at a fast-food restaurant

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.