Monday, February 26, 2024 — Edition: #7664
We Give a Sheet!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Oppenheimer” and Cillian Murphy got another Oscar boost, both picking up awards at the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday. Oppenheimer won the ensemble award and Murphy leading actor in a motion picture, for his title role. Murphy won the BAFTA in the same category last weekend. Lily Gladstone won leading actress for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” So far this awards season, Oppenheimer has won everything it was expected to win – and at the SAG Awards, it added the big prize for which it hadn’t been the strong favorite, taking down “Barbie” and “American Fiction” — a possible indicator that an Oscar upset is in the making.
-TheWrap
★ Amy Schumer has been diagnosed with Cushing syndrome. She revealed her diagnosis of the hormonal condition in Friday’s edition of Jessica Yellin’s “News Not Noise” newsletter, after fans began questioning why she had a “puffier” face during her promo tour for season 2 of “Life & Beth”. The condition occurs when too much cortisol (the primary stress hormone) is inside the body for a long time, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include weight gain, high blood pressure, and bone loss. The 42-year-old said she feels “reborn” after getting a diagnosis.
-People
★ “Bob Marley: One Love” remained at #1 at the domestic box office over the weekend, besting 3 new releases: “Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training,” the faith-based Hilary Swank drama “Ordinary Angels” and Ethan Coen’s crime caper “Drive-Away Dolls.” After opening on Valentine’s Day, the Bob Marley biopic has now earned $61 million in North American theaters, a pace that puts it ahead of the $50 million that Elton John’s “Rocketman” earned in 2019 across the same time frame, and a bit behind 2022’s “Elvis.”
★ Marvel is retitling the upcoming “Avengers” movie, following Jonathan Majors’ assault conviction. Majors played ‘Kang the Conqueror’ in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and the streaming series “Loki”. The next instalment in the Avengers franchise was set to be named “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty”. But in December, Majors was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. In the wake of that, Marvel dropped Majors, and now, the studio has confirmed it is rewriting — and will retitle the next Avengers film, which is due for release in 2026.
-DailyBeast
★ Vin Diesel has confirmed that he’s staying with the “Fast and Furious” franchise through its “grand finale.” An Instagram post detailing a meeting with “the writers and whole team,” marked his first public statement since being sued for sexual battery in December by his former assistant, who alleged a 2010 incident during production on “Fast Five.” Diesel wrote: “To say the excitement for our finale was incredibly powerful is an understatement.” He also said the “grand finale is not just an ending; it’s a celebration of the incredible family we’ve built together.” LINK: http://tinyurl.com/5n95xb7d
-TheWrap
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): David Spade, Matty Matheson, Jenny Lewis
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Zendaya, Austin Butler, Mark Ronson, Chance the Rapper, Kings of Leon
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Timothée Chalamet, Julio Torres
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Brendan Hunt, Marc Maron, Zainab Johnson
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Barbara “Barbie” Pascual, Jared Woodin
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Host Jon Stewart
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Dr. Phil
• “The Talk” (CBS): Melissa Rauch
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Camryn Manheim, Robbie and Stephen Amell
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Savannah Guthrie, Donald Faison, Abigail Spencer
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Sterling K. Brown, Jenny Slate
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Derek Hough
• “America’s Most Wanted” (Fox): Season 2 finale
• “The Voice” (NBC): Season 25 premiere
• “Bad Romance — A Special Edition of 20/20″ (ABC): A young mother is found murdered in her bedroom closet; the investigation leads to multiple trials and a 24-year search for justice.
• “The Bachelor” (ABC): New episode
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – In a resurfaced video from 2016, her BF Travis is seen playing a game of “Marry, Kiss, Kill,” choosing between Swift, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande. After Kelce reluctantly choses to kill Grande, he decides to kiss Swift…and marry Perry.
• SZA – has dropped her new single ‘Saturn’. She first debuted the song in a MasterCard ad that aired right after her Grammys performance. It’s the first song from her upcoming album “LANA”. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/yzcu89an
• Kings of Leon – have dropped ‘Mustang’, the first single from the upcoming album “Can We Please Have Fun”. The group has also announced a North American tour, beginning Aug. 14. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/2jh4k5vu
• Madonna – was joined onstage by Pamela Anderson during her Vancouver show last week. Anderson served as a “judge” during the performance of ‘Vogue’, which has included the Queen of Pop’s boyfriend Josh Popper, Julia Garner, Kelly Ripa, and others at previous shows.
• Mötley Crüe – In some unexpected news, ex-guitarist Mick Mars, who is embroiled in legal action against the rest of the group’s original members, said in an interview: “If Motley wanted me to write songs with them again, of course I would.” He recently released his first solo album “The Other Side of Mars”.
• Jelly Roll – has announced his “Beautifully Broken Tour 2024”. His biggest headlining tour to date kicks off on Aug. 27 in Salt Lake City UT, and wraps Oct. 27 in Charlotte NC. Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay will open. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/4xfv2psb
• Dierks Bentley – Friday, he released his bluegrass-tinged cover of the Tom Petty classic ‘American Girl’. It’s from the forthcoming Tom Petty tribute album, “Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty”, which will also feature Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Marty Stuart, Lady A, Thomas Rhett, and more. It’ll drop May 31. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/542fktnk
• Kenny Chesney – has released the new song ‘Thinkin’ Bout’. The breakup tune will be included on the album “BORN”, out March 22. Chesney also revealed the record’s track list, which includes the previously released ‘Just to Say We Did’ and ‘Take Her Home’. LINK: http://tinyurl.com/2tad5u43
SHOOTING THE BULL
SPRING TRAINING: A NEW WRINKLE:
Major League Baseball spring training is now well underway in Florida and Arizona – but there’s a new wrinkle that players hope to get sorted out – pronto. It would seem that the new unforms being sported by players contain the unfortunate flaw of being…see-through! Several teams have white pants that have made for some less-than-ideal photos. The MLB Players Association has confirmed that it is relaying concerns about the new pants to the league. The complaints that pants are “somewhat see-through” are part of broader concern about the uniforms, which supposedly are designed to improve mobility by providing 25% more stretch, and with “more breathable” lettering, emblems and numbering. Some players have also gone on record as saying the new style uniforms appear “cheaper” and “faded”.
(See-through? Well, players do come to spring training with the intention of “showing their stuff”!)
[***Caution***] (See-through pants? As far as I’m concerned, religion should be left right out of baseball!)
-CP, AP
RYAN RODEO:
If your name is ‘Ryan’, I’ve gotta ask: Where were you on Saturday? That was the day of the first-ever “Ryan Rodeo”. It was put on by the organization “Ryan Meetup”, which caters strictly to people named…well, you know. The goal of its meeting on Saturday in Austin TX was to break the Guinness World Record for the largest same-name gathering, which was set in 2017, when 2,325 people named ‘Ivan’ met up in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An organizer (named Ryan, of course) wrote on the events page: “It’s fixin’ to be a rip-roarin’ time, as we gather round and revel in the beauty of our shared name. Don’t be surprised if some Ryans start square dancin’ — after all, you can’t spell country without R-Y.” Everyone there was required to show I.D. proving their name is Ryan, and organizers promised they’d “be layin’ down the law to ensure no Bryans get in.” Why? The group’s website explains that “Bryans are just B-list Ryans.” LINK: https://www.austintexas.org/event/ryan-rodeo/379065/
(I’m guessing bartenders poured a lot of “Ryan Coke” that day!)
(It’s funny: My wife often compares me to Ryan Gosling. She usually says: “You’re nothing like Ryan Gosling.”
-UPI
NEW GOOD NEWS:
➢ While temperatures have edged upwards over the last century, a so-called “warming hole” over the eastern US, where temperatures have plateaued or cooled, has bucked the trend – and we have trees to thank. Last week, a study attributed this anomaly to widespread reforestation efforts in the eastern states, which had been cleared by early European settlers. Indiana University researchers said: “Ground- and satellite-based observations showed that eastern United States forests cool the land surface by 1-2°C annually compared to nearby grasslands and croplands, with the strongest cooling effect during midday in the growing season, when cooling is 2-5°C”. (Who knew? It’s cooler in the shade!)
➢ Most of the companies that participated in the world’s largest 4-day week trial are still operating a shorter working week a full year later, a new report shows. 61 organizations took part in the UK trial. Of those, 54 are still operating the policy (89%) and 31 have made the change permanent. When asked about the effects of a shorter working week, 82% of companies reported positive impacts on staff wellbeing, with half recording reduced staff turnover. Critics of the 4-day week have questioned whether the positive impacts reported in trials can be sustained long-term. But Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College, which led the trial, said the new research suggests that physical and mental health of workers continued to improve. (My only problem with a 4-day work week is that it would give me an extra day to spend!)
-PositiveNews, GoodNewsNetwork
WHACK “AMERICAN IDOL” FACTS:
Auditions continued last night on Season 22 of “American Idol”. Here are some facts about the singing show that producers probably would prefer you didn’t know…
✓ Over the last decade, just one winner has had an actual commercial hit. Chayce Beckham’s ‘23’ went platinum, and peaked at #17 on the US Country chart.
✓ 6 finalists have died – all in the last 10 years. R.I.P. to CJ Harris, Leah LaBelle, Michael Johns, Nikki McKibbin, Rickey Smith and Willie Spence.
✓ Although at one time an American Idol winner could easily make $1 million, that has changed. Nowadays, you’ll get $250,000 total if you finish your record (and that’s a big “if,” as you’ll soon find out…)
✓ Judges make the big money. While no one is paid as handsomely as Simon Cowell was back in 2010 ($36 million per year), In 2020, Forbes quoted $25 million for Katy Perry, $12 million for Luke Bryan and $10 million for Lionel Richie.
✓ Just Sam Returned to Busking: Former winner “Just Sam” had to return to singing on New York City subways, even after winning Season 18. Not a great look for American Idol. What’s more, he also had to pay back Hollywood Records for songs, after his debut album never materialized.
✓ While it’s a stretch to say the show is “scripted,” there are many anecdotes about judges being overly briefed by producers. And Sanjaya Malakar even claimed he was encouraged to look like he was feuding with his sister when they both auditioned.
✓ While technically, contestants can choose any song for their audition, the network’s ability to clear the rights to use the song on TV may determine if they get air time.
✓ Some artists have refused to let American Idol use their songs. Kelly Clarkson was one, but later relented. And at one point, Simon Cowell had to personally ask for permission for a singer to use a U2 song (on “America’s Got Talent”).
✓ The big winner is the network. Early on, American Idol made Fox more than $800 million per season, but even now, ABC collects about $250 million.
-TheBoot
DID YOU KNOW?
Closing your phone’s background apps does nothing to conserve battery life, Apple says. In fact, the phone maker recommends you only close an app if it’s unresponsive. A recent article in Gizmodo states that the ritual of “swiping up” on open apps is a waste of time. In 2016, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering confirmed that closing the background apps does not extend your battery life. In fact, most background apps are essentially frozen, and your system just displays a screenshot of them for consistency. As for Android phones, closing background apps actually uses MORE battery than just leaving them open. (However, I have found that deleting TikTok can extend battery life drastically!)
-Insider/Gizmodo
BS CHRONOMETER 02.26.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Carnival Day”. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was the forerunner of traveling carnivals. Today, they may consist of amusement rides, food, games, thrill acts, and animal acts, although those are increasingly frowned upon. (Hey – as long as there’s food…)
• “Set a Good Example Day”, as declared by The Way to Happiness Foundation. What person’s example left a lasting impression on your life? (For me, it’s gotta be ‘Oscar the Grouch’!)
• “For Pete’s Sake Day”, which asks the pressing question, “Just who the heck is Pete, anyway, and why would we do anything for his sake?”
• “Levi Strauss’ Birthday” (1829-1902), the man who created the first Levi’s blue jeans for California’s gold miners in 1850. Without him, many of us wouldn’t have a wardrobe.
• “Personal Chefs Day”, an annual reminder to consider hiring a private chef for a day, a unique way to entertain friends and business guests in your home. It’s not as costly as you might think.
• “Tell a Fairytale Day”, Yeah, inflict some of the most violent stories ever written onto your innocent, unsuspecting child. (What’s the scariest of all-time? “Fee, fi, foe, fum …”)
• “World Pistachio Day”, betcha can’t eat just one! BS FACTOID: Once upon a time, to hide imperfections, pistachios were sold in a bright red color which left your hands a vivid hue of cherry. Today, a more mechanized harvesting process means they are picked, hulled and dried before the shell has a chance to become stained or marked, so there is no need to dye them.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Pokémon Day
[Tues] Strawberry Day
[Wed] Public Sleeping Day
[Thurs] Leap Day
This Week Is…Invasive Species Week
This Month Is…Self-Check Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1950 [74] Jonathan Cain (Friga), Chicago IL, rock keyboardist-guitarist (Journey-composer of ‘Faithfully’, Bad English-‘When I See You Smile’)
1953 [71] Michael Bolton (Bolotin), New Haven CT, pop/soul singer (‘When a Man Loves a Woman’, ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’)
1968 [56] Tim Commerford, Irvine CA, rock bassist (Rage Against the Machine-‘Killing in the Name’, Audioslave-‘I Am the Highway’)
1971 [53] Max Martin (Karl Martin Sandberg), Stenhamra Sweden, songwriter-music producer (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, The Weeknd…)/writer or co-writer of 26 Billboard Hot 100 #1 songs, behind only Paul McCartney, and tied with John Lennon
1971 [53] Erykah Badu (Wright), Dallas TX, R&B singer (ft. Common: ‘Love of My Life’, ‘Bag Lady’)/mother to Puma, Seven, and Mars
1977 [47] James Wan, Kuching Malaysia, movie director (“Saw”, “Insidious”, Conjuring,” and “Aquaman” franchises)
1982 [42] Nate Ruess, Iowa City IA, pop singer (fun.-‘Some Nights’, ‘We Are Young’, w/Pink-‘Just Give Me a Reason’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2009 [15] Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and supermodel Gisele Bundchen tie the knot in a twilight wedding at St Monica’s Church in Santa Monica CA (they would divorce in 2022)
2017 [07] At the 89th Academy Awards, a mix-up causes Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway to mistakenly announce “La La Land” as ‘Best Picture’ winner. “Moonlight” is eventually correctly declared the winner, after La La Land producers had begun their speech
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1983 [41] Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album reaches #1. It would spend an unprecedented total of 37 weeks there
2002 [22] The Bee Gees play their final concert, at Miami Beach’s Love and Hope Ball, a benefit for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. Maurice Gibb would die the following January
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2012 [12] Rain forces the postponement of the Daytona 500 to the next day, for the first time in the event’s 53-year history (it happened again in 2020, and this year)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The first use of “Google” as a verb in pop culture was on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.
✓ Elvis Presley’s manager sold “I Hate Elvis” buttons as a way to make money off of people who weren’t buying his merchandise.
✓ Spiders recycle webs by eating them.
✓ Lobster’s bladders are in their heads.
✓ At one point, “Jay” was slang for “foolish person.” So, when a pedestrian ignored street signs, he was a “jaywalker.”
✓ During World War II, the United States rationed shoes. Citizens were allowed three.
-MentalFloss
Best of BS . . .
BS PONDERABLES:
• If ghosts can walk through walls and glide down stairs, why don’t they fall through the floor?
• Why is vanilla ice cream white, when vanilla extract is brown?
• Why do people think that swaying their arm back and forth can change the direction of a bowling ball?
• How can something be “new” and “improved”? If it’s new, what was it improving on?
• Why aren’t drapes double sided so they look nice on the inside AND outside of your home?
• Is a pessimist’s blood type ‘B-negative’?
• Why is it that when we “skate on thin ice”, we might end up “in hot water”?
• Why does grape flavor smell the way it does, when actual grapes don’t taste or smell anything like it?
• If a bald person works as a chef, do they have to wear a hairnet?
-CrazyThoughts, first published in BS in 2018
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ The Oscars are March 10th. The Oscars gift bag is worth more than $125,000. (But remember, the recipients will have to sit through the Oscars. So, they’ll earn it!)
➠ An untitled sequel to “The Lego Movie 2” is reportedly being worked on. (Screenwriters say they’ll start “piecing together” a script soon…)
➠ Dr. Phil was a guest on Joe Rogan’s podcast. (It’s the first time ever that a fake doctor came face-to-face with someone who thinks he’s a doctor…)
➠ Scientists have been testing a pill on mice that counteracts the effects of alcohol. (They can tell it’s working because at the end of the night none of the male mice are trying to pick up the slightly dowdy-looking, lonely, female mice…)
➠ Fact: Hugging and or holding hands with the person you love has been proven to reduce stress almost instantly. (At lease until her husband comes home…)
BS WEB GOODIE:
Works on me, too: http://tinyurl.com/572byt76
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Could someone please explain why underwear and socks come in resealable bags, but potato chips don’t?
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• In which city does the original “CSI” take place?
a) San Francisco
b) Las Vegas [CORRECT]
c) Seattle
d) Cyber
• Who was the first country music artist to sell over 10 million copies of an album?
a) Garth Brooks [CORRECT]
c) Billy Ray Cyrus
c) Willie Nelson
d) Beyoncé
• Which athlete is nicknamed “The Greatest”?
a) Michael Jordan
b) Muhammad Ali [CORRECT]
c) Wayne Gretzky
d) Eddie the Eagle
-ProProfs
BS PHONE STARTER:
When you DO give a rat’s ass, nobody really appreciates that either.
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: If you’re average, you get a new one of THESE every 3 years. What is it?
Answer: Computer mouse
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
