Thursday, January 16, 2025 – Edition: #7873
Good Morning, Sheetheads!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Amid her split from Eric Johnson, Jessica Simpson has listed her mansion in Hidden Hills CA for a whopping $17.9 million. The 13,000 sq. foot, 7-bedroom, 13-bathroom residence was first put on the market in September 2023. Though the listing was removed in August, the house was placed back on sale Jan. 11 — 2 days before Simpson announced her breakup with her husband of 10 years – with $4.1 million slashed from the initial asking price.
-E!
★ Blessed be Edward Berger, whose Vatican drama “Conclave” is now officially the frontrunner in this year’s BAFTA Film Awards. The 2025 nominations were unveiled by actors Will Sharpe and Mia McKenna-Bruce from the British Academy’s headquarters in London yesterday, and this year’s crop of nominees include several award-season favorites, like “Conclave” and “Emilia Pérez”, which lead with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively. Both will compete in the BAFTA Awards’ top category, Best Film, alongside “The Brutalist” (hot off its Golden Globes victory for Best Motion Picture – Drama), “A Complete Unknown”, and “Anora”. Among the lead-acting categories are Hugh Grant for “Heretic”, Cynthia Erivo for “Wicked” and Saoirse Ronan for “The Outrun”. David Tennant is hosting the BAFTAs for the second year in a row, Feb. 16, at Royal Festival Hall in London.
-People, HollywoodReporter, EW
★ In just under 3 weeks, “Squid Game” Season 2 has become the 3rd most-watched season of television ever on Netflix. The 7-episode installment put up another 26.3M views from January 6-12, easily making it the most-watched title of the week. With 152.5M views since its December 26 premiere, it sits behind only Squid Game Season 1 and “Wednesday” in terms of all-time viewership. And there’s still plenty of time for it to beat either or both of those, because there are still 70 days in the 91-day premiere window that Netflix uses to measure these accomplishments.
-Deadline
★ The “Hollywood Squares” reboot makes its debut tonight on CBS, and on Sunday, it’ll get major exposure following the network’s telecast of the AFC Divisional Playoff Game between Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. And there will be a familiar face for football fans as Hollywood Squares is hosted by NFL analyst (and “CBS Mornings” co-host) Nate Burleson. The game show features Drew Barrymore in the center square, joined by celeb guests in every episode. New names added to the guest lineup include Jay Leno, Whitney Cummings, Pete Holmes, Chaka Khan, Thomas Lennon, Nelly, Patton Oswalt, Nicole Byer, Drew Carey, Jeff Dunham, Max Greenfield, Lil Rel Howery, Rita Moreno and JB Smoove.
-Deadline
★ Huge bucks have been donated to victims of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires thanks to online crowdsourcing, with some of Hollywood’s biggest names among those opening their wallets. TMZ reports that GoFundMe has raised more than $100 million to support families, communities and businesses that sustained losses. Celebs who helped include Barbara Corcoran, who organized a GoFundMe for a mobile home park and contributed $50,000. Others who chipped in to fundraisers include $10K from Arnold Schwarzenegger, $45K from Marshmello and $20K from Sofia Vergara. The Jonas Brothers and Zach Bryan each gave $15K, Tony Hawk donated $10K, and those contributing $5K include Gal Gadot, Kristen Bell, Pink, Sheryl Crow, and Meghan Trainor.
-TMZ
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Fernanda Torres, flipturn
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Kenny Chesney, Brooke Shields, Mekki Leeper, Dusty Slay
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Julia Garner, Jharrel Jerome
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Keke Palmer, Kaitlin Olson
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Kurt Braunohler, Opey Olagbaju, Mamrie Hart (R)
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Patricia Arquette, Gwendoline Christie
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Rep. Tom Suozzi, host Jordan Klepper
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Ben Stiller, Susie Essman
• “Today” (NBC): Kenny Chesney, Patricia Arquette
• “GMA3” (ABC): Samantha Brown, Roy Wood Jr.
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Gabriel Basso, Fernanda Torres
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Josh Gad, Gwendoline Christie, OK Go
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Graham Norton, Chris Appleton
• “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Janelle James, Mayan Lopez
• “Hollywood Squares” (CBS): Series premiere. Celeb contestants include Tyra Banks, Whitney Cummings, Tiffany Haddish, Jeff Ross, Drew Carey, Pete Holmes, and Julie Bowen.
• “Only Murders in the Building” (ABC): Charles, Oliver, and Mabel collide with their podcasting mentor-turned-competitor; the trio tries to orchestrate a classic stakeout Brazzos-style. Followed by 2 more new eps.
• “Law & Order” (NBC): Shaw and Riley discover a shocking motive after a young man is pushed in front of a train. Followed by a new “SVU”.
• “Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration” (PBS): Performers include Willie Nelson, Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert, and Dave Matthews.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Bad Bunny – Logan Paul wants to meet him in the ring. Bunny recently told Rolling Stone that he wanted to have one more match in WWE. Paul has responded on Instagram stories, writing, “Then get in the ring with me.” In 2023, Paul was asked about a match with Bad Bunny. His answer: “Bunny don’t want this smoke. I’m a Maverick, we eat bunnies for breakfast.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yz2m63bf
• Beyoncé – postponed her highly anticipated announcement which was scheduled for Tuesday. In an Instagram statement, she explained the delay is due “to the devastation caused by the ongoing wildfires around areas of Los Angeles.” Also, The Weeknd pushed back the release of his new album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” to Jan. 31, and announced he’ll no longer be performing at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 25, “out of respect and concern for the people of Los Angeles County.” LINKS: https://tinyurl.com/4su8vxvs https://tinyurl.com/2s36japj
• Post Malone — The Grand Ole Opry has shared a video documenting his Opry debut. The 12-minute clip includes the moments leading up to his performance on Aug. 14, and comments from guests and onstage collaborators Lainey Wilson, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, John Michael Montgomery, and The War And Treaty. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3kd2cktk
• The Beatles – are the most influential rock band ever, according to an analysis of Wikipedia API data by the music streaming service Audiomack. The Fab Four were found to score a total of 210 “influence points”, followed, in order, by Led Zeppelin (151 points), U2 (139), and David Bowie (127).
• Ringo Starr – enlisted Jack White and Sheryl Crow, among others, to play at a pair of star-studded benefit concerts to raise funds for LA wildfire relief. The shows, which took place Tues. and Wed. at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, also included appearances by Billy Strings, Emmylou Harris, Mickey Guyton, Jamey Johnson, Brenda Lee, and War and Treaty. Starr has just released a country album.
• Shaboozey – ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ has logged an amazing 30th week atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the third-longest chart-topper dating back to the current chart’s inception in 1958. It trails only Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Meant To Be’ (50 weeks in 2016-17) and Sam Hunt’s ‘Body Like a Back Road’ (34 weeks in 2017).
• Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts – will both perform at the inaugural ball following the President Trump inauguration ceremony on Monday. It takes place hours after the swearing-in ceremony. Billy Ray Cyrus and Kid Rock will both be featured at the “Victory Rally” at Capital One Arena in Washington on Sunday.
(***Preview for ‘language’***) • Luke Combs – His wife Nicole had an embarrassing moment while on vacation in Australia. In an Instagram slide, she wrote: “Went to the deli counter and asked for a pound of ham. The guy looked at me & said what the fak is a pound.” She explained: “Forgot we are the only loons that use lbs. instead of kgs. Shoutout to google for helping [us] figure it out.”
SHOOTING THE BULL
“HOME” WORK:
According to a new report, just like the list of household chores that never goes away, the gender gap goes on and on: After all these generations, women still generally take on more domestic tasks than men. Researchers at the University of Alberta studied 250 couples over the course of 25 years found what they’re referring to as a “gendered pattern” of housework in people’s 20s, which continues well into midlife – and if you have kids, the gap only widens. The data shows that women consistently did the majority of the cooking, kitchen cleaning, grocery shopping, housecleaning, laundry, and overall housework. A Statistics Canada report from 2022 found that of those who worked from home, women spent about 40 minutes more per day on unpaid housework than men. And when it comes to child-care duties, even with both parents working, mothers spent an average of about 52 minutes more per day with their kids than dads did. Experts say that although the gap persists, there are signs it is narrowing over time.
(It’s 2025, and women are still out there running a marathon of laundry loads, while men are lost in the kitchen trying to do the dishes and check the football score on their phone at the same time!)
(I mean…sure, they have point. But if there’s a snake in the garage – or if the dog’s about to barf in the middle of the night, THEN whose problem is it?)
-CBC
TIKTOK TALK:
With that impending ban on TiKTok in the US set to go into effect on Sunday, TikTok creators are getting nervous – and rightly so: For many content creators, their livelihoods rely on the video app. And those in the US who use TikTok just for their viewing pleasure can’t be very excited about the thought of it going dark, either. So, while you’re perhaps spending your evenings downloading your fav vids to your phone with the little time you have left, here are a few apps that people – and content creators are moving to, in anticipation of the ban…
► Lemon8: It has been called a mix of Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, combining photo and video content for a blended scrolling experience. (The problem? Like TikTok, it is owned by ByteDance – so could it also be banned in the not-too-distant future?)
► Neptune: Describes itself as a “platform built for creators, by creatives” that claims to be “pioneering a new era of social media. (The problem with this one is it hasn’t been officially released, and it still in its beta phase.)
► YouTube Shorts: While it isn’t the most popular video app – it has fallen behind even Instagram Reels in popularity – it still offers short-form video content similar to TikTok.
► Red Note: This could be the big one. It is similar to TikTok in several ways, including its short-form video content, lifestyle content, and shopping options. It has already recently reached #1 in the app store. (Problem? It is also Chinese-owned, so it too could be targeted by US lawmakers.)
► Snapchat: Since its 2011 launch, it has maintained a steady presence, especially with middle and high schoolers. In addition, many influencers and celebs use it.
► Twitch: The Amazon-owned live-streaming platform that’s host to millions of gamers and lifestyle streamers might be a logical destination for TikTok livestream lovers. If you enjoy watching streams of ASMR, cooking, GRWMs and more, Twitch might be the place for you.
(…and considering I have no idea what those letters stand for, apparently “Google” is the place for me!)
(You think the TikTok CREATORS are getting nervous? What about all those hopelessly addicted TikTok USERS? Whoops — Not talking about you, sweetheart…!)
-CBC, TheBoot
SICK STATS:
Winter can be tough – especially when it feels as though as soon as you shake a case of the sniffles – you seem to get sick again. A new survey has found that the average adult believes they are healthy just 16 days per month during winter. That’s right: They spend almost half their winter…ummm…’under the weather’. The Talker Research poll of 2,000 adults in the US, almost half of them cohabitating partners, also offered a peak into how illness affects relationships and daily life during the cold season. And I hope this doesn’t ring true in your household, but one-third of those living with partners described their significant other as “a baby” when sick. Partners were also characterized as stubborn (25%) and dramatic (23%). And 22% said their partner refuses to acknowledge being ill at all.
(I’ll admit it: One sniffle, and I’m an infant. In fact, when I was sick last week, I complained so much, my wife ran to the store at 10pm for ice cream — just to make herself feel better!)
(That’s where I run into problems. I pretend I’m totally fine – until she tells me we’re expected at her mom’s place for dinner!)
-StudyFinds
MUSIC BIOPICS THEY SHOULD GET RIGHT TO WORK ON:
Following the success of the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”, starring Timothée Chalamet — and with rock-star movies now as common as superhero flicks, here is Rolling Stone’s list of the ones they’d love to see…
☆ “Like a Hurricane: The Neil Young Story”: starring Timothée Chalamet
☆ “Let It Bleed: The Story of the Rolling Stones”: starring Timothée Chalamet in the dual role of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
☆ “Rumours: The Saga of Fleetwood Mac”: starring Sydney Sweeney as Stevie Nicks and Timothée Chalamet as Lindsey Buckingham
☆ “What’s My Age Again?: The Blink-182 Story”: starring Timothée Chalamet (of course) as Tom DeLonge and Nicholas Braun as Mark Hoppus
☆ “Chumbawamba: You’re Never Going to Keep Us Down”: starring…you guessed it…Timothée Chalamet as singer Dunstan Bruce. (This one will probably be pretty short…)
-RollingStone
THE BEST ROCK BANDS OF ALL-TIME:
This week, an analysis of Wiki data determined that The Beatles are the most influential rock band of all time (no kidding!) [***See “Music Notes”, above***]. Meanwhile, according to a list compiled by The Top Tens, the BEST rock band of all time is Led Zeppelin. The rest of the…well, the top 10 are…
2. The Beatles
3. Pink Floyd
4. Queen
5. Metallica
6. The Rolling Stones
7. AC/DC
8. Nirvana
9. The Who
10. Guns N’ Roses
LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2xstc2eh
(Sorry, people – even Metallica would say the Stones are better than Metallica!)
-TheTopTens
DID YOU KNOW?
Eating dinner late – like at 7pm – can lead to weight gain, researchers at University of Pennsylvania say. Their 2022 study found that eating dinner later increased the weight of test participants, and also boosted insulin and cholesterol, leading to an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. The researchers also found that hormonal factors help those who eat their last meal earlier in the day to feel fuller…longer. (OK – Now, what about those of us who like to eat a late dinner – and an early one?)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 01.16.25
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Nothing Day”. Quite simply… a day for nothing…or as my boring neighbor Norman the accountant calls it, “Thursday”.
• “International Hot & Spicy Food Day”, encouraging us to spice up our lives in order to add some zest to a Winter’s day. What’s the absolute hottest thing you’ve ever put in your mouth? (And how did that work out for you?)
• “Get to Know Your Customers Day”, an occasion observed on the 3rd Thursdays of January, April, July and October. (There IS such a thing as “TMI”, ya know!)
• “Fig Newton Day”, celebrating the cookie with figs in the middle … the only figs many people ever eat.
• “Religious Freedom Day”, when everyone has the right to believe the same stuff I do…
• “Quinoa Day”, to raise awareness about its nutritional benefits. Native to South America, quinoa has been a dietary staple for indigenous people there for centuries. It gained popularity in North America in the 1970s and has since become a favorite protein source among vegetarians.
• “Appreciate a Dragon Day”, celebrating fictional dragons as memorable characters. (Let’s see, there’s “Puff”, “Pete’s”, The “How to Train Your Dragon” dragon, ‘Smaug’ from “The Hobbit”, the “Game of Thrones” dragons, the “Harry Potter” one…and the dragon tattoo. That’s about it!)
• “Without a Scalpel Day”. What do heart disease, stroke, aneurysms, and uterine fibroids have in common? They’re just a handful of conditions that can now be treated without surgery. In honor of this progress, The Interventional Initiative made today the annual ‘Without a Scalpel Day’.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Customer Service Day
[Fri] Kid Inventors’ Day
[Sat] Gourmet Coffee Day
[Sun] Popcorn Day
This Week is…Letter Writing Week
This Month is…Blood Donor Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1943 [82] Ronnie Milsap (Millsaps), Robbinsville NC, country singer/pianist (‘I Wouldn’t Have Missed it for the World’, ‘Any Day Now’)/Country Music Hall of Fame 2014
1948 [77] John Carpenter, Catharge NY, movie director (“Halloween” movies, “Escape from New York”)
1959 [66] Sade (Helen Adu), Ibadan Nigeria, R&B singer (‘Smooth Operator’, ‘The Sweetest Taboo’)
1974 [51] Kate Moss, London England, fashion model (Calvin Klein, has appeared on over 300 magazine covers)
1980 [45] Lin-Manuel Miranda, New York City, Broadway actor/composer/playwright (“Hamilton”, “In the Heights”)/movie actor (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
1980 [45] Albert Pujols, Santo Domingo Dominican Republic, retired MLB player (NL MVP 2005, 2008-09, 4th in history to 700 HRs, in 2022 as a St. Louis Cardinal)
1982 [43] Max Joseph, New York City, reality TV host (“Catfish” 2012-18)/film director (“We Are Your Friends”)
1981 [44] Nick Valensi, New York City, rock guitarist (The Strokes-‘Last Nite’, ‘Juicebox’)
1985 [40] Renée Felice Smith, Long Island NY, TV actress (‘Nell Jones’ on “NCIS: Los Angeles” 2010-21, 2023)
1988 [37] FKA Twigs (Tahliah Barnett), Cheltenham England, pop singer-songwriter (‘Good to Love’)/movie actress (“The Crow” 2024)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1979 [46] The landmark BBC nature series “Life on Earth”, presented by David Attenborough, makes its debut.
2011 [14] “The Social Network” is the big winner at the 68th Golden Globes, picking up awards for ‘Best Drama’, ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Screenplay’, and ‘Best Original Score’.
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1992 [33] Eric Clapton performs for an episode of MTV “Unplugged” in Windsor, England. The resulting record wins 6 Grammys, and sells 26 million copies to become the bestselling live album of all time. (“Eric Clapton Unplugged… Over 30 Years Later”, with bonus content, is coming to Paramount+ Feb. 12.)
1996 [29] Jamaican police mistake Jimmy Buffett for a drug smuggler and shoot at his seaplane after it lands in the water. U2’s Bono was also on board with his family.
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2016 [09] The first-ever flower is grown in space – a zinnia — aboard the International Space Station, using NASA Veggie system.
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2005 [20] Romanian university lecturer & novelist Adriana Iliescu gives birth at age 66 to a daughter, Eliza, breaking the record for “World’s Oldest Birth Mother” (Current record: 73 years of age!).
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The brain is the fattest organ in the human body.
✓ Cats spend 66% of their life asleep.
✓ If it were possible to “dig a hole to China”, you’d need to start in Argentina.
✓ Your foot and your forearm are the same length
✓ The word “bless” originally meant “sprinkle with blood”.
✓ In the U.S., prison inmates can’t vote, but they can run for office.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, Facts
Best of BS . . .
BS STUPID QUESTIONS FOR ALEXA:
• Alexa, how many fingers am I holding up?
• Alexa, why is vanilla ice cream white, but vanilla extract is brown?
• Alexa, why am I still single?
• Alexa, if I took you apart, will you help me rebuild you?
• Alexa, who let the dogs out?
• Alexa, how far is the drive from Los Angeles to California?
• Alexa, do you think it’s possible for a machine to fall in love? Asking for a friend.
• Alexa, is it okay to drink milk that expired last year? Asking for a friend. Who expired last year…
• Alexa, is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
• Hey Siri….?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
BS SIGNS YOU’RE ON A BAD CRUISE:
• As you board, a personal injury attorney hands you his business card.
• The Carnival Cruise crew turns out to be actual carnival workers.
• Puerto Vallarta looks a lot more like Newark NJ than in the brochure.
• Every time you see the crew, they’re wearing life preservers.
• During a light breeze, the captain issues an order to abandon ship.
• The navigation chart seems to be a placemat from Red Lobster.
• It’s day 3, and you’re still docked.
• You keep finding barnacles in your pants.
• You hit an iceberg and hundreds die.
-First published in BS in 2009
BS WEB GOODIE:
Ummm…reverse moonwalk? https://tinyurl.com/259vkd4r
BS RANDOM JOKE:
If you ask me, we place too much emphasis on the early bird’s good luck — and not enough on the early worm’s bad luck.
☎ BS PHONE STARTER:
What, to you, is the most-pleasant sounding accent?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
25 years ago THIS was worth $1.6 million dollars. Today, it’s worth $7 million. What is it?
Answer: A 30-second Super Bowl commercial
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Gray skies are just clouds passing over.
