Monday, June 27, 2022 – Edition: #7260
More From the Sheethouse!
BS SUBSCRIBER NOTE:
There’ll be no “BS” service for Friday July 1 to observe the Canada Day holiday. All subscribers will receive credit for the non-service day. The Bull Sheet will resume publication on Monday, July 4.
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Michael Jackson’s estate claims in a lawsuit that a man engaged to one of his siblings used the chaos surrounding his death to steal a large amount of property from the singer’s home. Jackson’s estate says Jeffre Phillips started staying at the home right after Jackson died on June 25, 2009 and made off with items, including Jackson’s iPhone video cameras, and computers, his drivers license, prescription pills and some clothes, plus handwritten notes and a briefcase filled with personal and business papers. The lawsuit does not specify which of Michael’s siblings Phillips was engaged to.
-TMZ
★ “Elvis” is in a virtual tie for #1 at the box office with “Top Gun: Maverick,” with both movies earning a projected weekend total of $30 million. That would mean Baz Luhrmann’s biopic on The King of Rock and Roll would match pre-weekend projections, but Elvis still has a way to go before it reaches profitability, with a reported $85 million budget. The film is performing consistently with other summer music biopics by attracting older audiences. Warner reports that 60% of opening day crowds for “Elvis” were over the age of 35 while 43% were over 50.
-TheWrap
★ “The Voice” may be making a big change to its schedule. Reportedly, while The Voice moved to one cycle per year for 2022, NBC is considering going back to 2 seasons per year. According to Monsters and Critics, there are a few indicators: The show that served as The Voice’s replacement in the spring, “American Song Contest”, didn’t do very well in the ratings. So, it is rumored that NBC wants to bring back The Voice in its previous spring timeslot. Additionally, The Voice announced an open call for contestants on various June dates. Even though it may appear as though this would be for the upcoming fall season, that’s apparently not the case, as casting for the fall season has already been completed and filming for blind auditions has begun.
-PopCulture
★ A court in Massachusetts granted a temporary harassment prevention order against Ezra Miller to a family who says Miller “menaced” them in February. This is one of the major stories circulating about Miller while the actor is avoiding authorities who want to question them. The alleged victims live in a multi-family home and say that on the evening of Feb. 2, Miller was in their downstairs neighbor’s home. The alleged victim said that Miller harassed her 12-year-old gender non-binary child. Some are wondering whether Warner Bros. will still release “The Flash” movie they star in next year.
-PopCulture
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Guest Host Chelsea Handler, Joey King, Megan Stalter, anees
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Martin Lawrence, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, a performance from Broadway’s “A Strange Loop”
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Wanda Sykes, Ronan Farrow
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Beanie Feldstein, Matthew Modine, Billy Strings, Jonathan Ulman
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): President Joe Biden, Billie Eilish, David Harbour, Alanis Morissette
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): “Below Deck Sailing Yacht” Season 3 Reunion
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Tyra Banks, Andy Grammer
• “The Talk” (CBS): Eva Mendes
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Chelsea Handler, Amy Goodman
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Kieran Culkin, Brandon Maxwell, Tig Notaro, Wale (R)
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, Michael Bublé, Randy Jackson, Dan Reynolds, Avril Lavigne
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Bobby Flay, The Old Gays (R)
• “The Great Giveback With Melissa McCarthy and Jenna Perusich” (HGTV): Melissa and Jenna design a bedroom suite complete with a dream-come-true closet and a bathroom fit for a spa.
• “American Ninja Warrior” (NBC): Qualifying rounds continue in San Antonio, where Minions have taken over the course and brought the new obstacle Despicaballs.
• “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” (Fox): This season’s youngest singer and a father with a falsetto take on the Million Dollar Challenge.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Lizzo – She and Live Nation will donate $1 million from the singer’s Special tour to support abortion access groups following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Lizzo tweeted Friday: “The most important thing is action & loud voices. @PPFA, @AbortionFunds & organizations like them— will need funding to continue offering services to people who are most harmed by this ban.”
• BTS — Less than two weeks after they announced a hiatus, the K-pop band’s J-Hope has revealed plans to release his first official solo album. “Jack in the Box”, the rapper/dancer’s first-ever non-mixtape album, will arrive July 15, with the first single set to drop on Friday. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bdz9t9er
• Whitesnake – guitar virtuoso Steve Vai joined his former band onstage at France’s Hellfest for a fiery rendition of ‘Still of the Night’. Vai played with Whitesnake, which is currently on its farewell tour, from 1989-90. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2p8ddfaw
• Ozzy Osbourne – Friday, he returned with a new song and video, ‘Patient Number 9’ the title track from his forthcoming album, out Sept. 9. The song features Jeff Beck on guitar and a music video directed by comic book creator Todd McFarlane. LINK: https://youtu.be/h_6DfxA6LiI
• Noel Gallagher – baffled fans by featuring a woman in his band at Glastonbury…playing scissors! Video shows her on the Pyramid Stage with the former Oasis star holding what appears to be an ordinary set of red-handled household scissors up to a microphone, as if she were “playing” them. Online, one fan wrote: “@NoelGallagher Any chance of joining the band? I’m pretty handy with a hole punch!!”
• Maren Morris — shared TikTok displaying her pre-show rituals while on her Humble Quest tour. It shows her practicing yoga with tourmates in the morning, then heading for soundcheck, while keeping an eye on 2-year-old son Hayes. She is also seen playing pickleball backstage, which she says “we are all obsessed with”. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5yjbvf4f
• Brantley Gilbert and Jelly Roll — teamed up to release ‘Son of the Dirty South’ on Friday. Gilbert says: “We’ve been itching to write together for a while now, and we had a lot of fun.” The 2 will hit the road together for a series of tour dates kicking off Thurs. in Jacksonville FL. LINK: https://youtu.be/r2NlccE6Wl4
• Jimmie Allen — says he’s “starstruck” to be going on tour with Carrie Underwood this fall, but the 43 venues they’ll hit should be prepared for his unique tour rider requests. What does he require? Pop Tarts, chewing tobacco, graham crackers, apple juice, Nike socks – and “American Eagle underwear, 9 inches, size medium”. Why? “I like to wear brand new underwear when I go on stage.”
SHOOTING THE BULL
ECO-LOGICAL:
With gas prices at or near all-time highs, we need all the help we can get when it comes to minimizing costs. So, what about that little “eco” button on your car’s dashboard? Does it really do anything, aside from illuminate a little green leaf on the display? Sheldon Williamson, Professor at the Automotive Center of Excellence at Ontario Tech University, says that while some car makers claim eco mode may help you realize as much as 10-12% in fuel savings, most of us aren’t going to save that much, but it’s still worth it. Higher end luxury cars packed with more technological advances may be more likely to reach the 12% savings threshold, but most vehicle owners will experience a savings of about 5%. For most vehicles, eco mode is most effective when cruising on the highway at a steady speed, travelling through the city under normal conditions, driving across flat terrain, when nothing is being towed and when you don’t need maximum air conditioning.
(Awesome. The people with fancy cars are the ones who can save the most with eco mode, but they’re the ones who probably don’t care!)
(Still, a 5% fuel savings on a hundred bucks isn’t bad. At least it’ll cover the cost of next week’s price increase!)
-CTV
ALEXA, I HEAR DEAD PEOPLE:
This started as a really neat, fun story. Then it took a dark turn. Your Amazon Alexa may soon be able to replicate real, human voices. That sounds great. Until you realize that includes the voices of dead people. Amazon announced the new feature at the annual Re:Mars conference, which focuses on innovation in artificial intelligence. The update to Alexa’s system would allow the virtual assistant to mimic the voice of any person, based on less than a minute of recording. In a demonstration, the company played a video showing a young boy asking: “Alexa, can Grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?” Alexa acknowledges the request, and switches to a voice mimicking the child’s grandmother to read the book. Amazon says it began working on this feature to put more “human attributes of empathy” into the Alexa system, but online reaction wasn’t having it, with one woman tweeting: “one of the creepiest suggestions I’ve heard in a long time. A key part of processing loss is letting go. Having my dead father tell me its time to take a cake out of the oven or that 2m is 6ft 7″ would be incredibly weird.”
(Besides, if you’re anything like me, you can still hear your dad’s voice in your head anyway. ALL DAY LONG!)
(…though it does open up some pretty amazing prank possibilities!)
-Global
NEW GOOD NEWS:
➢ A wedding nightmare turned into a Celtic dream when, after a plane-load of problems, the local community on the Isle of Skye lent a hand. Amanda and Paul Riesel flew over 4,000 miles from Florida, to Scotland, only to find out their luggage was missing – including their wedding dress and suit. The couple had spent almost $15,000 on the trip, which they had been planning for over 2 years. They were ready to call the whole wedding off until photographer Rosie Woodhouse, appealed to locals to help. Within hours, Amanda had been offered a selection of 8 wedding dresses in her size, and Paul was given a kilt. The bride-to-be had luckily carried the wedding rings and flowers in her carry-on. In another kind gesture, the photographer even invited the couple to her friend’s house for a meal because most restaurants were closed. Afterward, Amanda called the couple’s big day “imperfectly perfect.”
➢ You’ve probably already heard this story, but if anything qualifies as ‘good news’, it’s this: Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize to help Ukrainian children and families displaced by Russia’s invasion, and an anonymous buyer won the bidding with an unexpectedly generous offer of $103.5 million. UNICEF said it received the funds minutes after the bidding ended. The previous record for a Nobel was $4.76 million. (I had no idea a Nobel prize was worth so much money! I guess the old saying is true: “Peace comes at a cost!”)
-DailtRecord, TheWeek
MOST-VISITED WEBSITES, 2022:
It was a short run, but TikTok is no longer the most popular website in the world. Last year, the tech world had a bit of a shock when Google was knocked off the top of the list. But apparently, lots of us are searching for Google again, as it has regained its’ title. Here are the world’s 10 most popular domains over the last 30 days, according to Cloudfare…
1) Google.com
2) TikTok.com
3) Facebook.com
4) Microsoft.com
5) Apple.com
6) Amazon.com
7) YouTube.com
8) Netflix.com
9) Instagram.com
10) Mozilla.org
Notably, Twitter and WhatsApp have both slipped out of the top 10. And it should be pointed out that “adult” domains were excluded from the results.
(And if you figured that out for yourself, shame on you!)
-IFLScience
DID YOU KNOW?
Comedian Khaby Lame has become the king of TikTok — all without uttering a word. With more than 142.9 million followers, he has dethroned teen dancer and content creator Charli D’Amelio to become the most-followed person on the platform. 22-year-old Lame, who was born in Senegal and lives in Italy, creates videos in which he reacts wordlessly to absurd life hacks, racking up millions of views and likes with each post. He also posts comedy skits that feature his expressive reactions — but no words. His reactions personify the term “shaking my head,” or SMH in internet shorthand. LINK: https://www.instagram.com/khaby00/?hl=en
-CNN
BS CHRONOMETER 06.27.22
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Canadian Multiculturalism Day”, an opportunity to celebrate the country’s diversity and to appreciate contributions of various multicultural groups and communities to Canadian society. LINK: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/celebrate-canada/multiculturalism-day.html • “Decide to Be Married Day”, focusing on the joys of the ball-and-chain. (Please note: This is not a decision that one can make independently). [***Ask listeners for advantages to being married that you rarely hear about***]
• “Please Take My Children to Work Day”, Tired and overworked, stay-at-home moms rarely get a day off. Worse yet, many perceive them as not working at all. Today, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, ask friends or family members to take care of your children.
• “Pineapple Day”, whether you’re eating a pineapple upside down cake or sipping a piña colada, be sure to celebrate with pineapples in some way! (Fun Fact: Pineapples were such a status symbol in 18th century England that you could rent one for the evening to take to a party.)
• “Sunglasses Day”, the 80th anniversary of the debut of ‘Ray-Ban Sunglasses’. Shades are a 20th-century phenomenon. In the 1930s, the U.S. military commissioned glasses that would protect pilots from sun glare. But they didn’t become a real fad until the ‘60s when an ad campaign asked, “Who’s behind those Foster Grants?”
• “HIV Testing Day”, an annual campaign by the National Association of People with AIDS to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing.
• “Industrial Workers of the World Day”, to draw attention to workers in manufacturing and their importance in producing the goods that we consume and rely on. (Thank-you, China.)
• “PTSD Awareness Day”, to bring greater awareness to the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder.
• “Helen Keller Day”, born on this date in 1880, she was an American author, political activist, and lecturer, and the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of her and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, was made famous by Keller’s autobiography, “The Story of My Life”, and its film and stage adaptations, “The Miracle Worker”. (***See ‘BS Deep Thought’, below***)
COMING UP . . .
[Tues] INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY
[Tues] International Body Piercing Day
[Wed] Hug Holiday Day
[Thurs] Social Media Day
This Week is…Eye Safety Awareness Week
This Week is…National Tennis Week
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1942 [80] Bruce Johnston [Benjamin Baldwin], Peoria IL, pop-rock singer-bassist/keyboardist (Beach Boys-‘California Girls’)/songwriter (Barry Manilow-‘I Write the Songs’)
1949 [73] Vera Wang, New York City, NY, fashion designer (Recognized for her haute couture wedding gown designs and for her relationships with celebrities)
1959 [63] Lorrie Morgan [Loretta Lynn Morgan], Nashville TN, country singer (‘Watch Me’, ‘What Part of No’)/daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are country singers
1966 [56] [Jeffrey Jacob] JJ Abrams, NYC, movie producer-director (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, “Mission: Impossible” films) TV show creator (“Felicity”, “Lost”) COMING UP…“Star Trek 4”, 2023
1975 [47] Tobey Maguire, Santa Monica CA, movie actor (“The Great Gatsby”, “Spider-Man” films)
1984 [38] Khloé Kardashian, LA CA, reality TV personality (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians” 2007-21), “The Kardashians” since 2022/sister of Kourtney, Kim, and Rob Kardashian
1986 [36] Sam Claflin, Ipswich UK, movie actor (‘Finnick Odair’ in “Hunger Games” films, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”)
1996 [26] Lauren Jauregui, Miami FL, pop singer (Fifth Harmony-‘Work From Home’, ‘Worth It’)
1997 [25] H.E.R [Gabriella Wilson], Vallejo CA, R&B singer (‘I Can’t Breathe’, ‘Damage’)
1999 [23] Chandler Riggs, Atlanta GA, TV actor (‘Carl Grimes’ on “The Walking Dead” 2010-18), “A Million Little Things” since 2019
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2008 [14] Bill Gates steps down as Chairman of Microsoft Corporation to focus full-time on charity work.
2017 [05] Tennis star Serena Williams poses pregnant and nude for the cover of “Vanity Fair”
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2002 [20] Bassist John Entwistle of The Who dies in Las Vegas at age 57 of a heart attack induced by cocaine
2015 [07] Bassist and songwriter Chris Squire of Yes dies of leukemia at age 67 in Phoenix AZ
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1967 [55] The world’s first ATM is installed in London, England. Though the machine did use PIN codes, one major difference from today’s ATMs is the fact that this one did not charge a fee
2017 [05] Mark Zuckerberg announces Facebook has reached 2 billion monthly users (Now 2.9 billion)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2005 [17] At age 46, Julio Franco of the Atlanta Braves becomes ‘Oldest MLB Player to Hit a Grand Slam’ (vs Florida Marlins)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
✓ Australia has pink and purple lakes.
✓ At least one of the colors of the Olympic flag appears on every country’s national flag.
✓ It’s scientific fact that chicken noodle soup helps relieve symptoms of the common cold.
✓ The green falling code in “The Matrix” movie is just loads of sushi recipes.
✓ The Brazilian wax was invented in New York.
-WhattheFFacts
Best of BS . . .
BS BAD TIMES TO FALL ASLEEP:
• After Netflix, before chill….
• After telling her to calm down.
• When someone asks who stole their Ambien.
• Right after making Freddy Krueger mad.
• Right after your Mom yells “Are you up?”
• During the big, “two chainsaws and a live grenade” finale of your juggling act.
• Before you go-go, ’cause I’m not planning on going solo.
• During sex, apparently.
• In the middle of a….Zzzzzzzz……
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
FAKE CANADIAN HISTORY:
• At birth, Canadians are issued their own hockey card rather than a birth certificate.
• Over 100 years ago, Canada decided “eh” would be the sound the question mark makes.
• A group of Canadians is called an “apology”.
• The NFL cancelled its Canadian expansion plans in 1973 when all 7 proposed cities demanded their team names would be ‘Roughriders’.
• Vancouver gets its name from the Squamish word for “unaffordable rents”
• Newfoundland was bought and paid for with Canadian Tire money.
• The term “Double Double” is the Canadian version of ‘Aloha’, meaning both Hello & Goodbye.
• Neil Young wrote the national anthem, but they had to cut out the 10 minute guitar solo.
• On Canada Day, every citizen is required to apologize to 3 random strangers and offer them maple syrup as a token of friendship.
• Canadian Netflix has always had a great selection.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2017
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which of the following is true about strawberries?
a) It takes up to 10 years for strawberries to bear fruits.
b) They are the only fruit with seeds on the outside. [CORRECT]
c) There are two types: red and white strawberries.
d) Technically, they are vegetables.
• Which video has the most views on YouTube, with more than 10.5 billion?
a) ‘Despacito’ – Luis Fonsi
c) ‘Shape of You’ – Ed Sheeran
c) ‘Baby Shark Dance’ – Pinkfong [CORRECT]
d) The ‘Leave Britney Alone’ video
• Which is the capital city of Egypt?
a) Casablanca
b) Cairo [CORRECT]
c) Cape Town
d) Cleopatra
-WeLoveQuizzes
BS WEB GOODIE:
Just because (sound up): https://tinyurl.com/3nvukjrp
BS RANDOM JOKE:
If you ever need cheering up, start a fight with somebody when they have hiccups!
BS PHONE STARTER:
What happened that literally left you speechless for a while?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: 55% of people admit they have lied about THIS to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. What is it?
Answer: Their cooking
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller