Monday, June 10, 2024 — Edition: #7730
Bull Works!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ It would appear those rumors of Ben and J-Lo selling their marital mansion are true. TMZ is reporting that with their marriage in deep trouble, and Affleck already having moved out, they are asking for about $65 million for the house. Sources say J-Lo and Ben are using realtor Santiago Arana from The Agency to sell the home they bought a little over a year ago, after a 2-year search. Apparently, Arana has been showing the house for 2 weeks, which aligns with when clear signs of trouble in the union publicly emerged.
-TMZ
★ “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” has more-or-less overcome the great box office slump of 2024, with an estimated opening-weekend haul of $56 million. While down from the $62 million opening of “Bad Boys For Life” in 2020, the 4th installment of the series exceeded initial projections of a $45-50 million opening. “The Garfield Movie” claimed second place with $10 million.”
-TheWrap, Variety
★ Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ honorary degree from Howard University has been revoked in the wake of the release of video footage of him attacking then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. Diddy was given the honor in 2014, but the institution released a statement saying: “Mr. Combs’ behaviour…is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.” A scholarship in his name will also be disbanded, as well as a 2023 pledge agreement made with the Sean Combs Foundation.
-ContactMusic
★ Netflix has set a new date for the highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, hailed by one promoter as (ahem!) “a showdown that will be talked about for generations to come.” The YouTuber and the heavyweight champion will now duke it out on Friday, Nov. 15, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington TX. The match was originally supposed to take place in July, but an ulcer flare up forced Tyson’s doctors to intervene.
-TVLine
★ Ryan Seacrest paid tribute to Pat Sajak Friday, following the broadcast of Sajak’s final episode as host of “Wheel of Fortune”. In an Instagram post, Seacrest – who will take over as host of the show — said Sajak was a “standard for hosts everywhere.” In the caption to a pic of himself, Sajak, and Vanna White, Seacrest wrote: “Your dedication, charm, and wit have made the show a beloved part of American television for decades. Your partnership with Vanna has been nothing short of iconic, and together, you’ve created countless wonderful memories for viewers.” He concluded: “This marks the end of an era. Best wishes for all your future endeavors!” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4zsnbs28
-Deadline
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Amy Poehler, Patton Oswalt, Slash (R)
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Steve Carell, Amandla Stenberg, Noah Lyles, Carly Pearce
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Sen. Cory Booker, Billie Eilish
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Scott Aukerman, Carl Tart, Mary Elizabeth Ellis
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Theo James, Tico Torres
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Capt. Sandy Yawn, Jennifer Esposito
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Host Jon Stewart
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Jo Koy
“The Talk” (CBS): TBA
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Andrew McCarthy
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin, Retta, Ricky Martin
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Tallulah Willis, Sohla El-Waylly
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Marla Gibbs
• “American Ninja Warrior” (NBC): Qualifiers 3 & 4
• “Name That Tune” (Fox): Bedazzled Boots & Frenemies
• “Weakest Link” (ABC): Season 3 finale
• “Stanley Cup Final” (Check local listings): Game #2: Edmonton Oilers @ Florida Panthers
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Miley Cyrus – Her hit ‘Flowers’ has notched an unbelievable 51 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. The song has now been #1 on Billboard’s various radio airplay charts for a combined total of 100 weeks, a new record. The previous record holder was ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd, which was #1 for 87 combined weeks.
• Drake – has locked in his bets on the NBA and NHL finals. Via his partnership with Stake, Drizzy posted pics of his $500,000 gambling slips. Of his NBA wager, he wrote that he is taking “Dallas cause I’m a Texan”, and for the Stanley Cup, he feels “Oilers are self explanatory”. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2s4yzw8t
• The Offspring – dropped the new tune ‘Make it All Right’ on Friday, a preview of the album “Supercharged”, out Oct. 11. Singer Dexter Holland quote: “We wanted this record to have pure energy– from the start to the finish! LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yb36shx5
• The Black Keys – have fired their management team. Two weeks ago, the band abruptly cancelled their North American “International Players Tour” that was set to kick off in September, reportedly due to poor ticket sales. Now, they have “amicably parted” with managers Irving Azoff and Steve Moir, who began working with them 3 years ago.
• Great White – Try to follow along here: Singer Jack Russell was forced to miss Saturday’s show with the offshoot band he currently fronts, Jack Russell’s Great White, at Feather Falls Casino in Oroville, CA. Filling in for him was singer Andrew Freeman, who, at one point was Russell’s replacement in the original Great White. The band did not be change its name to Andrew Freeman’s Great White for the evening.
• Bon Jovi – Jon Bon Jovi has confirmed that he is unable to tour in support of the band’s new album “Forever”. In 2022, he underwent a procedure on his vocal cords, but recovery has been slow. The plan now is “to do a tour next year.”
• Morgan Wallen – has broken a Taylor Swift chart record. With his Post Malone collab ‘I Had Some Help’ hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it marked the 19th week that Wallen has held the top spot this decade. That’s one more than Swift has accumulated in the same time frame.
• Mickey Guyton – dropped her new song ‘Make It Me’, which she released on Friday. On Instagram, she said of the song, which she wrote with Tyler Hubbard and Corey Crowder: “It’s a bop! It feels like summer, it makes you want to dance, and most of all… it makes me think of my husband.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5a7unspe
• Johnny Cash – “Spotlight”, an album of previously unreleased music, will be released on June 28. The record comes from demo recordings that Cash completed in 1993. The title song, featuring a guitar solo by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, was released on Friday. LINK: https://youtu.be/778R2Tys2Ck
SHOOTING THE BULL
BIG SCREEN FOR BIG PURCHASES:
So…what is the most-expensive item you’ve ever purchased using your phone? A concert ticket? A vacation? A car? A discussion has been going around online a bit recently, about “big-screen purchases”. Thats the concept where many people choose to make larger purchases strictly on a computer — because they want to have a second window open or be able to view details of the agreement in full, to avoid making a regretful mistake. And that brings up the question: Do you pause a purchase until you can sit down in front of a larger screen and pore over the details of what you’re getting yourself into? And where would you draw the line when it comes to buying something using your phone – as opposed to with your home computer?
(The ironic thing is that there’s a good chance you used your desktop computer to purchase your phone – and maybe even used your phone to buy your desktop!)
(I figure if your phone is good enough to help you select a potential mate, it should be OK to help you select a stinkin’ phone plan!)
-MorningBrew, NYPost
BABY SQUAWK:
The delightful “gah-gahs” and “goo-goos” emanating from your baby’s crib might just seem like gibberish – or, well…baby talk…but a new study suggests that the sounds an infant makes are much more than random noise – they’re a crucial part of learning to talk. The research, published in PLOS One, used special software to look at the vocal patterns in 130 infants over the first year of their life. It found that rather than making haphazard sounds, then gradually progressing to more structured “baby talk” (as was believed), it seems that infants are actively exploring and practicing different categories of sounds right from the beginning of their lives. The research team categorized the sounds into 3 main types: squeals, growls, and vowel-like utterances (named “vocants”). And fascinatingly, these 3 types cropped up in babies of all ages, even in the first few months of life. Why is this important? The researchers believe this vocal exploration serves 2 purposes: First, babies may be priming their brains for the challenge of speech. And second, this “baby talk” may serve as a signal to caregivers that the baby’s development is on track and perhaps even a cue to engage the baby in some back-and-forth “conversation.”
(It seems that, just like your older kids, babies are prepared to “talk back” right from the beginning!)
(Great. For thousands of years, our babies have been talking to us, and we’re just figuring this out NOW?)
-StudyFinds
NEW GOOD NEWS:
➢ Canada’s first full-scale free grocery store is set to open. Since the pandemic, there has been a spike in food bank users across the country. The new Regina Food Bank Community Food Hub, modelled after a traditional grocery store, is set to open downtown this summer in a former government liquor store. Food bank vice-president David Froh says that giving clients choices, rather than a pre-selected box of food essentials, not only gives them dignity, it also allows the organization to feed about 25% more people, because clients might not always have a use for all the items selected for them by someone else. When someone comes for help and is registered, they will be able to stop in every 2 weeks, and pick about $200 worth of food in the grocery-store styled layout.
➢ A woman who was given just a 15% chance of conceiving a baby naturally was finally able to give birth to a child — after strangers donated $13,000 for her to undergo IVF. Gem Baker of England had always dreamed of being a mom, but never met the right man with which to start a family. And after the now-38-year-old was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2017, she was told she had a low egg count – and very poor chances of conceiving a child. Although the news was “soul-destroying”, she looked into in vitro fertilization, but was shocked by the cost. Her friend urged her to set up a GoFundMe, and, as she put it, “It just went mental”. She managed to raise $13,000, including her own savings of $1.5k, and managed to lose 75 pounds – to give herself the best chance of conceiving. After a few false starts, she took a pregnancy test – and it was positive. 9 months later, she was able to welcome her little girl, Clover-Iris, into the world. Today Clover-Iris is 11-months-old and Gem says that “Being a mum is exactly what I dreamed, and more.”
-CBC, GoodNewsNetwork
LONGEST-RUNNING U.S. TV SHOWS:
1. General Hospital (60 Seasons): Set in fictional Port Charles NY, it has circulated through numerous characters and plot lines since premiering on April 1, 1963. Over 15,000 episodes and still running…
2. Guiding Light (57 Seasons): Originating in 1937 as a radio show, it moved to TV in 1957, and ran through 2009.
3. Days of Our Lives (57 Seasons): Like sands through the hourglass, so are the classic soap tropes of love, lies, family and drama. In 2022, the show moved from NBC to Peacock streaming, where it continues.
4. As the World Turns (54 Seasons): What is it with soaps, people? This daytime serial ran from 1956-2010.
5. Sesame Street (53 Seasons): NOW we’re talkin’! It’s been a mainstay of children’s programming on PBS since 1970. Season 54 will begin in November.
6. The Young and the Restless (51 Seasons): Since debuting in 1973, it has won 77 Daytime Emmys. It has been renewed to run through at least 2028.
7. Saturday Night Live (49 Seasons): Some things never go out of style. Lorne Michaels and crew will celebrate Season 50 beginning this fall. (I swear Kenan Thompson has been there for more than 50 years!)
8. One Life to Live (45 Seasons): This soap ran from 1968-2012, with a revival the following year.
9. Romper Room (41 Seasons): This kids’ show aired from 1953-94, and was renamed “Romper Room and Friends” in 1981.
10. All My Children (41 Seasons): This soap, featuring Susan Lucci, ran from 1970-2011.
(For the record, “The Bugs Bunny Show” ran for 40 seasons…and was a sort of soap opera in its own right…)
-Variety
DID YOU KNOW?
The makers of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer are celebrating the company’s 180th birthday this year by selling a truly bonkers 180-pack of beer, which is on sale now in the US. Each 180-pack of cans contains 2,160 ounces of beer, or slightly less than 17 gallons’ worth. It’s not the first time Pabst has created a comically oversized package of beer. In 2019, it launched a 99-pack — and 2 years later, it produced a promotional 1,776-can pack to commemorate America’s founding year. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5554tyse
(You can tell your wife you’ll only drink one case all weekend – and you won’t be lying!)
(180 beers for 180 years?)
-Food&Wine
BS CHRONOMETER 06.10.24
TODAY’S BS REASON TO PARTY . . .
• “Ball Point Pen Day”, commemorating its 1943 invention by Lasalo Biro of Hungary. During WW2, Britain’s Royal Air Force commissioned him to develop an instrument that could write under low atmospheric pressure at high altitude. (Did they not think of using a pencil?)
• “Iced Tea Day”, celebrating the favorite Summer cooler of millions. The origins of early non-alcoholic iced tea recipes can be traced to 1876. A few years later, sweet tea began to take hold in the Southern US. Iced tea’s popularity really took off after visitors to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis embraced it. (Let’s get this parTEA started!)
• “Herb and Spice Day”. Not only an essential part of flavorful cooking, they can also be fun and easy to grow. (It takes some thyme, though. Sorry.)
• “Egg Roll Day”. It is a deep-fried appetizer served in North American Chinese restaurants, usually a savory roll with shredded cabbage, chopped meat, or other fillings inside a thickly-wrapped wheat flour skin, and usually eaten with a sauce. (You’ll note there’s no egg in there, whatsoever!)
• “Black Cow Day”. A Black Cow is a root beer float – made with vanilla ice cream and root beer. But in some places, a black cow or a “brown cow” is made with cola instead of root beer. And in other places, a “root beer float” has strictly vanilla ice cream; a float made with root beer and chocolate ice cream is a “chocolate cow” or a “brown cow”.
• “Alcoholics Anonymous Founders’ Day”. On June 10, 1935, Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith set out to find the best way to reform alcoholics, and Alcoholics Anonymous was born. (In Canada, the organization is called “AA, eh?”)
• “Frosted Cookie Day”, encouraging us to enjoy the frosted animal cookies that spark joy and creativity for families.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Corn on the Cob Day
[Tues] Cousteau Day
[Wed] Superman Day
[Thurs] Sewing Machine Day
This Week is…Email Week
This Month is…Give a Bunch of Balloons Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1962 [62] Gina Gershon, Los Angeles CA, movie actress (“Showgirls”, “Bound”)/TV actress (‘Gladys Jones on “Riverdale” 2018-19) COMING UP…”Borderlands”, 2024
1964 [60] Jimmy Chamberlin, Joliet IL, rock drummer (The Smashing Pumpkins-‘1979’, ‘Tonight, Tonight’)
1964 [60] Kate Flannery, Philadelphia PA, TV actress (‘Meredith Palmer’ on “The Office” 2005-13)/“Dancing With the Stars” contestant, 2019
1965 [59] Elizabeth Hurley, Basingstoke England, TV actress (‘Queen Helena’ on “The Royals” 2015-18, “Gossip Girl” 2011-12)/movie actress (“Austin Powers” films, “Bedazzled”)/model (Estée Lauder)
1966 [58] Theresa Caputo, Hicksville NY, reality star (“Long Island Medium” 2011-19)
1968 [56] Bill Burr, Canton MA, comedian-TV actor (“The Mandalorian” since 2019, “Breaking Bad” 2011-13/movie actor (“The King of Staten Island”)
1973 [51] Faith Evans, Lakeland FL, pop-R&B singer (w/Puff Daddy-‘I’ll Be Missing You’)/widow of Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace
1978 [46] “DJ” (Donald Joseph) Qualls, Manchester TN, movie actor (“Road Trip”, “Hustle & Flow”)/TV actor (“Supernatural” 2011-20)
1979 [45] Lee Brice, Sumter SC, country singer (‘Rumor’, ‘I Drive Your Truck’)
1992 [32] Kate Upton, St Joseph MI, fashion model (“Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue” cover 2012, 2013, 2017, 2024, 100th anniversary “Vanity Fair” cover)/sometime movie actress (“The Other Woman”, “Tower Heist”)/married to MLB pitcher Justin Verlander since 2017
2004 [20] GAYLE (Taylor Gayle Rutherfurd), Dallas TX, pop singer (‘abcdefu’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2004 [20] Model-actress Ali Landry divorces “Saved by the Bell” actor Mario Lopez due to irreconcilable differences, after 2 weeks of marriage
2007 [17] Close to 12 million tune in for the final episode of “The Sopranos”, which ends with its famous “cut to black” to the strains of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2004 [20] Legendary singer Ray Charles dies at 73 in Beverly Hills (the bio-film “Ray” opens 4½ months later, starring Jamie Foxx)
2020 [04] Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, The Flaming Lips take innovative social-distancing measures on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”: The band sings ‘Race For The Prize’ from inside plastic bubbles. Audience members are also enclosed their own bubbles, to keep the coronavirus at bay
TODAY IN SPORTS . . .
2016 [08] “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe, the Hockey Hall of Fame right winger (23-time NHL All Star), dies at 88
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2003 [21] The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission, which continued with the Opportunity rover (launched in 2004) through mid-2018
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The lowest temperature of the day is usually right after sunrise.
✓ The telephone was originally called a “harmonic telegraph”.
✓ Before Google launched Gmail in 2004, “G-Mail” was a free email service on the cartoon character “Garfield” website. It operated from 1998-2001.
✓ Liars blink less frequently than normal during the lie, and then speed up to around 8 times faster than usual afterwards.
✓ A new baby costs first-time parents an average of 750 hours of sleep in the first year.
✓ Mexican scientists turned a shot of tequila into diamonds by heating it to 800 degrees Celsius.
BathroomReadersInstitute
Best Of BS . . .
BS UNLIKELY MOVIE MASHUPS:
• Man of Steel Magnolias
• Terminators of Endearment
• The Breakfast Club at Tiffany’s
• The Godfather of the Bride
• School of Rocky
• The Girl With the Notebook Tattoo
• Phantom Menace to Society
• When Dirty Harry Met Sally
• Dances With Wolverine
• Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Deadpool
• Me, Myself, and I Scream
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2021
BS STRANGE SUMMER CAMP RULES:
• Everyone must go swimming within 30 minutes of eating.
• Maximum 2 campers per sleeping bag.
• Bring cookies for the guy in the hockey mask.
• Counselors may only “get it on” at the dock after 9pm.
• You may only raid your own panties.
• All campers are required to call home each hour.
• You have to go in January.
• Be sure to pack your flute!
• No pants allowed.
• Stay away from the murdery-est part of the woods.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
BS WEB GOODIE:
Weekend hi-jinx: https://tinyurl.com/mvp64am3
BS RANDOM JOKE:
The proper way to use a stress ball is to throw it at the last person who upset you…
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• With a box office total of $2.9 billion, what is the highest-grossing film of all time?
a) Avatar
b) Avengers: Endgame
c) Star Wars: The Force Awakens
d) Ishtar
• Who has the most Instagram followers, with 631 million?
a) Kylie Jenner
b) Taylor Swift
c) Cristiano Ronaldo [CORRECT]
d) Elon Musk
• With over 3 billion, which social platform has the most active monthly users?
a) Facebook [CORRECT]
b) TikTok
c) X (formerly Twitter)
d) Friendster
-KraftyLab
BS PHONE STARTER:
What would be the worst “buy one get one free” sale of all time?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
A study found that THESE are 48% smaller for a woman than a man. What are they?
Answer: Pants pockets
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
