Wednesday, February 2, 2022 – Edition: #7159
Guaranteed 100% Grade A Bull!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Actor and professional wrestler Dylan Postl has criticized Peter Dinklage for his recent comments on the new Disney remake of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Acclaimed “Game of Thrones” actor Dinklage said in a podcast interview that he was “taken aback” when they were proud to cast Latina actress Rachel Zegler as Snow White, but are still telling “a backwards story about 7 dwarfs living in a cave together”. In a new op-ed for The Daily Mail, Postl wrote: “I don’t have a problem with Snow White. What I do have a problem with is Dinklage putting himself on a pedestal and looking down on jobs that countless dwarfs in the entertainment industry would love to fill.” Disney has promised to “take a different approach” with the new production, and to “consult with members of the dwarfism community.”
-Independent
★ Bob Saget’s famous friends are continuing to keep his memory alive following his sudden passing last month. John Mayer, Dave Chappelle, Seth Green, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock and Jeff Ross came together to host a “punk rock Shiva” for the late star at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles over the weekend. It marked the second event of this type, with the first held on Jan16. His family, close friends and fans returned to the scene to pack the club’s Main Room as a way to pay tribute to him in what turned out to be a sold-out and star-studded benefit for a cause close to Saget’s heart, the Scleroderma Research Foundation. Hosted by Stamos, Mayer and Ross — the show went down as a “loosely structured, free-for-all” according to one attendee.
-MSN, HollywoodReporter
★ The trailer for Netflix’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is here, and it’s as bloody and brutal as ‘Leatherface’ fans have come to expect from the movie series. The new film marks the ninth entry into the storied franchise, but ignores all 7 of the follow-up films to serve as a direct sequel to the original 1974 movie that changed the horror genre forever. The film hits Netflix on February 18. LINK: https://youtu.be/zcI6SFiK_yk
-Yahoo
★ Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, AKA the widower of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, needed a new heir to inherit his estate and preserve his royal lineage, so he chose to adopt — an adult! 78-year-old von Anhalt has no children, so he plans to adopt 27-year-old Kevin Feucht. Kevin’s new last name will come with a few responsibilities. He has agreed to take care of his new step-dad, by cooking for him, doing chores around the house and making sure his bills are paid on time. It’s interesting because Frédéric was also adopted by a well-known princess in Germany when he was 35 . . . which is how he became a prince.
-Fox
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Andy Cohen, Slash, Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Maluma, Julia Garner, Kamasi Washington
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Tim McGraw, Martha Stewart
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Charlie Day, Sam Richardson, Hayley Brownell
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Annette Bening, Dave Franco, the Linda Lindas
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Gina Kirschenheither, Larsa Pippen
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Mark Cuban, Christian Siriano, guest co-host Tara Setmayer
• “The Talk” (CBS): Lacey Chabert
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Laura Linney, Dr. Heather Moday
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): David Spade, Chris Martin
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Johnny Knoxville, Rachel Wolfson, Abigail Cowen, Lawrence Zarian, David “Bayou Dave” Rivers, guest host Jay Leno
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Bridget Everett, Rodney Atkins, Rose Falcon
• “Big Brother: Celebrity Edition” (CBS): Season 3 premiere. This season’s celebs include Lamar Odom, Chris Kirkpatrick, Teddy Mellencamp and Shanna Moakler.
• “South Park” (COMEDY): Season 25 premiere
• “Skyville Live” (CMT): A tribute to Gregg Allman, with performances by Allman, Chris Stapleton, Taj Mahal, Little Big Town and more.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lady Gaga – will return to Vegas this spring. She has booked a residency starting April 14 at Dolby Live at Park MGM, the hotel and casino that’s been home to her last several runs in Sin City. Shows will “celebrate her love of the Great American Songbook”, and feature selections from “Love for Sale”, her Grammy-nominated album with Tony Bennett. Tickets go on sale Friday.
• Justin Bieber — purchased a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT for $1.29 million, a reported 300% more than its market price. He posted a photo of the new BAYC #3001, featuring a cartoon ape in a black T-shirt with tears in its eyes – to his Instagram on Monday, along with lyrics from his 2021 hit ‘Lonely’.
• The Who — A biopic about late drummer Keith Moon will begin shooting in June. Both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are executive producers for the movie, which has the working title “The Real Me”. Casting is underway, though no details are available.
• U2 – On Sunday, they released a new acoustic version of their hit ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday massacre that inspired it. The black and white clip includes some footage from the atrocity when 13 civilians were shot and killed by members of the British Army at a march protesting internment without trial in Northern Ireland. A 14th victim died later. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2p9f6zvc
• Alice Cooper — is working on 2 new “pure rock and roll” albums. He says one is “totally written” and will be out this year, while the other “is just a touch in the future” and both will be “totally different”. His last studio album was 2021’s “Detroit Stories”.
• Luke Bryan – will be hitting the road with the “Raised Up Right Tour”, starting June 9 in West Virginia. Riley Green, Mitchell Tenpenny and DJ Rock will join Bryan on the 30+ cities tour, which wraps in late October. Bryan’s first-ever headlining residency in Las Vegas runs Feb. 11-26.
• Blake Shelton — made a dream come true for a 6-year-old fan who is waiting on a new heart. The wholesome moment happened on Saturday in Durant OK, when little Wyatt McKee sat next to the stage at Shelton’s show with some signs about his condition. When Shelton realized Wyatt is waiting on a heart transplant, he gave the boy a guitar pick and invited him on stage to sing with him.
• Morgan Wallen — has made good on his promise to donate $500,000 to Black-led organizations. USA Today reports that the final $100,000 has been allocated to Nashville’s National Museum of African American Music. That completes the promise he made in the wake of last year’s racist slur scandal.
SHOOTING THE BULL
KETO DIET – DON’T TRY IT:
Popular weight-loss plans like the keto and paleo diets may help you lose weight, but they could also lead to long-term health problems. A recent study in France suggests low-carb diets can harm a dieter’s gut health. The gut is home to trillions of microorganisms needed for important bodily functions such as immunity and communicating with the brain to regulate your mood. Your diet shapes the composition of your gut microbiome. Previous research has shown that unhealthy and processed foods reduce the diversity of gut bacteria, leaving “bad” bacteria that can make you sick. The new research, which appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that a healthy gut is supported by a balance between all food groups. Study authors concluded that having a rich diversity of foods in your daily diet is more important to gut health than focusing on individual components of a diet such as protein or fiber.
(If there’s one thing [***co-host***] doesn’t have to worry about, it’s having a healthy gut!)
(I told my doctor I wanted to start a vegan keto diet. He told me “that’s nuts.”)
-StudyFinds
THE WORD ON WORDLE:
These days, you can’t open social media without seeing a post showing several rows of grey, yellow, and green squares. “Wordle” is the new word puzzle that’s taken the internet by storm. But why has it become so popular, so fast? Psychologist Sebastian Ocklenburg says many people love a challenge, but don’t have time for a puzzle that requires more than a few minutes, so it’s a perfect fit in today’s world. Not only that, unlike other games, like Sudoku or crosswords, in Wordle, performance feedback is given instantly. People are competitive by nature, and the ability to post your results (how many tries did I need today?) and compare them to others is another key to Wordle’s success. That’s right…we’re just looking for “likes”. Research shows that likes on social media are seen as a numeric representation of social acceptance, and the brain reacts to likes similarly to the way it reacts to winning money. Another aspect of Wordle’s popularity may lie in so-called “downward social comparisons”. That’s when you discover that your performance is superior to someone else’s. If you solved the Wordle in 2 tries, and see that another person needed 5, it makes you feel accomplished, smart, and successful, and may motivate you to play again. (And again. And again…) On the other hand, if you discover that others were better than you, could engage your competitive side, so you try again. (And again. And again…)
(OK, well, the next Wordle puzzle appears online in 10 hours, 26 minutes and 5 seconds, so I’ll see ya after my 10-hour, 25-minute nap!)
(Once I pulled my family from a burning car and stumbled 5 miles through forest in minus 10 temperatures to find help, but I’ve never felt as powerful as when I got the Wordle on line 2!)
-PsychologyToday
DOGGY DIGS:
Five stars is just about the best rating a luxury hotel can get, but this canine inn deserves 6…bones, according to happy dog owners. Cape Town, South Africa’s Superwoof Dog Hotel & Daycare provides the pooches of well-to-do South Africans with the kind of luxury treatment that even many humans in the country can only dream of. Some of Superwoof’s amenities include 24-hour supervision, splash pool, and long walks in the beautiful countryside of nearby Franschhoek valley, in the country’s Western Cape wine-growing region. More? Among the hotel’s highlights is dog champagne — “champaws” — basically water with herbs in a champagne bottle. We’re not sure if the mutts really appreciate that status symbol…or the fine jazz pumped throughout the facility…or if with their notoriously poor long-distance vision, what the dogs make of the view of Table Mountain from the Sky Deck. The facility has been providing luxury pet boarding service for well-do-do South Africans for 1½ years. How much to treat your dog like a king for a day? Just 165 South African rand…or $11 US.
LINK: https://youtu.be/3axtpgszDkY
(Definitely gives new meaning to the words: “Stay, boy!”)
(It sounds so nice that, just like my kids at daycare, my dog would cry when I come to pick him up. What? Just me?)
-Reuters
HOW TO MAKE A WOMAN HAPPY (part 2):
It’s Feb. 2nd, and here comes the second half of our list of 10 ways to make a woman happy…and with less than 2 weeks to go, if you follow our advice, THIS will be the year you don’t screw up Valentine’s Day:
6. Make her laugh: Women love a man who makes her laugh. If you can do this regularly, you’ve pretty much got it made. (This is why I’m glad I still get a physical paycheck!)
7. Thank her: Think of all she does for you. You cannot imagine your life without her. A thank you will make her day. Women feel special when they are appreciated.
8. Cook for her: Even if you aren’t the best cook in the world, she’ll appreciate the effort . . . and the fact that she doesn’t have to cook that night… (Bad idea. Speaking personally, of course…)
9. Compliment her: Women love compliments, especially from their partner. It could be about her looks, her personality, or something that she does particularly well, like cooking or decorating.
10. Give her hugs and kisses: As long as she is comfortable with it, she’ll probably love to be smothered in kisses and hugs. Especially if she isn’t expecting them.
(What would you add to the list…ladies?)
-Bonology
DID YOU KNOW?
Groundhogs are also variously referred to as woodchucks, whistle-pigs, or land-beavers. The name whistle-pig comes from the fact that, when alarmed, a groundhog will emit a high-pitched whistle as a warning to the rest of his or her colony. The name woodchuck has nothing to do with wood. Or chucking. It is derived from the Algonquian name for the critters, wuchak.
-ScientificAmerican
BS CHRONOMETER 02.02.22
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Groundhog Day”, an annual tradition that perpetuates the folk tale that a hibernating groundhog prodded from its burrow can forecast 6 more weeks of Winter by seeing its shadow. This annual oddity stems from the Christian celebration of “Candlemas”. An old Scottish poem proclaims, “If Candlemas is fair and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.” In Mexico, today is known as “Dia de la Candelaria”, a big day for bullfights and festivals. (***See “Did You Know?”, above***)
– Canada’s best known groundhog forecaster is ‘Wiarton Willie’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/hyhjc36v
– ‘Punxsutawney Phil’ is America’s original prognosticator and most famous hog. LINK: http://www.groundhog.org
• “Crêpe Day” (aka “La Chandeleur”) in France, when the traditional thin pancakes are served, filled with either sweet or savory goodies. Today, it’s customary to hold a coin in one hand and the crêpe pan in the other as you flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch it in the pan, it’s said that your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year.
• “Sled Dog Day”, honoring those tenacious teams of canines that pull together to provide transportation in the snowy North. (A good day to enjoy some ‘mush’!)
• “World Play Your Ukulele Day”, offering uke players a chance to ‘change the world 4 strings at a time’ by playing, sharing, and teaching others to play the mini-guitar.
• “World Wetlands Day”, observed since 1997 to raise awareness of the ecological value and benefit of the world’s wetlands. (Formerly known as ‘swamps’.)
• “Self Renewal Day”, try these tips to recharge, renew and rejuvenate:
-Smile when you first wake up, no matter how you feel.
-At different times during the day, take three deep breaths.
-Instead picking up your phone or turning on the TV, sit quietly for a few minutes. Breathe slowly, and notice what you see and hear.
-Say “thanks” to some part of your body for what it does for you. If you get a laugh out of this, all the better.
-Gently place your hands on top of your head, with your fingers together and slightly cupped. Hold in a relaxed way for a few seconds or minutes.
-Go outside or sit beside an open window. Feel the fresh air on your face. Smile again.
COMING UP . . .
[Thurs] Halfway point of Winter (Northern Hemisphere)
[Thurs] Carrot Cake Day
[Thurs] The Day the Music Died
[Fri] Liberace Day
[Fri] World Cancer Day
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1948 [74] Ina Garten, Brooklyn NY, TV chef (“Barefoot Contessa” since 2002, “30 Rock” 2010-11)
1953 [69] Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman, Denver CO, TV reality star (“Dog the Bounty Hunter” 2003-2012, “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt” 2013-15, “Dog’s Most Wanted” 2019)
1954 [68] Christie Brinkley, Monroe MI, model (the face of “CoverGirl” cosmetics for 25 years)/movie actress (“National Lampoon’s Vacation”, “Vegas Vacation”)/married to Billy Joel 1985-94
1966 [56] Robert DeLeo, Glen Ridge NJ, rock bassist (Stone Temple Pilots-‘Plush’, ‘Interstate Love Song’)
1977 [45] Shakira [Ripoll], Barranquilla Columbia, pop singer (f/Wyclef Jean-‘Hips Don’t Lie’, ‘Whenever, Wherever’) BS FUN FACT: Shakira is Arabic for ‘full of grace’.
1988 [34] Zosia Mamet, Randolph VT, TV actress (‘Shoshanna Shapiro’ on “Girls” 2012-2017)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2014 [08] 46-year-old Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Capote”, “Hunger Games”) dies of an accidental heroin overdose
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1993 [29] Willie Nelson settles his $17 million tax debt with the US Internal Revenue Service by paying them $9 million in cash and assets already seized
2011 [11] The White Stripes break up, “to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way”
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2014 [08] At Super Bowl 48 in East Rutherford NJ, Seattle Seahawks beat Denver Broncos 43-8, the first NFL championship for the Seahawks in their 40-year history
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2004 [18] Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the #1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he holds for a record 237 weeks (***the now-40-year-old is currently ranked #30, with $130 million in career earnings)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Male monkeys lose the hair on their heads in the same way men do.
✓ On some Caribbean islands, the oysters can climb trees.
✓ Nike Air sneakers have been made out of straw, crocodile skin, and 18-karat gold.
✓ The human body glows in the dark, but the light emitted is too dim for our eyes to see it.
✓ A raw steak is about 75% water.
✓ Vanilla is mildly addictive.
-BathroomReadersInstitute
Best of BS . . .
BS METHODS, ASIDE FROM GROUNDHOGS, TO DETERMINE IF SPRING IS ON THE WAY:
• Wal-Mart re-labels bags of ‘tire-traction sand’ as ‘sandbox sand’.
• San Antonio Spurs mathematically eliminated from NBA playoffs.
• That nice Spring breeze … that’s blowing small cars across the parking lot.
• (***Local TV forecaster***) switches from tacky wool blazers to tacky polyester blazers.
• Garbage collectors start going topless.
• Look at a calendar, twit!
-First published in BS 1998
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ It’s Groundhog Day — The day when 6 more weeks of winter can be predicted by a rodent. (Punxsutawney Phil has been guessing the weather since 1887 and has been wrong 61% of the time …yet, he’s still front-page news. So, I guess “fake news” isn’t a recent phenomenon…)
➠ Groundhog Day is today. (It’s the one day when we put our faith into a rat…unless you count election day!)
➠ I just read a report that claims that men lie 3 times as often as women. (But remember, men conducted the survey. So, it’s probably 7 times as often…)
➠ Scientists claim that cows are social and even have best friends. (Actually, I think they call them BeeFFs…)
➠ Fact of the Day: Sex is biochemically no different from eating large quantities of chocolate. (Yes, but 9 months later you never have to explain who gave you the chocolate!)
TRUTH OR BS:
• A duck’s quack doesn’t echo. [BS. In spite of the urban legend, a duck’s quack DOES echo.]
• Bubble gum contains rubber. [TRUE]
• Taco Bell is named after its founder, Glen Bell. [TRUE]
• The phrase ‘O.M.G.’ was used in 1917 in a letter to Winston Churchill. [TRUE]
• Toyota has announced that the official plural of ‘Prius’ is ‘Priuses’. [BS. The official plural of Prius is ‘Prii’.]
• The Pittsburgh Penguins made Mister Rogers an honorary captain in 1991. [TRUE]
• The ‘Q’ in Q-tips stands for ‘quicker’. [BS. It stands for “quality”.]
• The first webcam watched a coffee pot. [TRUE]
-Sporcle
BS WEB GOODIE:
That kid’s got a future: https://tinyurl.com/2da8spwp
BS RANDOM JOKE:
An alcoholic is someone you don’t like who drinks as much as you do.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’re the worst questions you can ask on a first date?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: Nearly 60% of people with one of THESE, don’t use it for its originally intended purpose. What is it?
Answer: A garage
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.