Thursday, March 11, 2021 — Edition: #6942

Don’t Take Any Sheet, Unless It’s Pure Bull!

BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Schitt’s Creek” actress Annie Murphy has joined the cast of “Russian Doll” for Season 2. No details are available yet about her character, but we do know that production on Russian Doll’s second season officially got underway last week. If your memory is a little hazy: Russian Doll debuted on Netflix more than two years ago. Natasha Lyonne starred as ‘Nadia’, who found herself reliving the night of her 36th birthday over and over again, Groundhog Day-style. Murphy just wrapped up a 6-season run as the hopelessly vain ‘Alexis Rose’ on Schitt’s Creek, taking home the Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy last year.
-TVLine
★ Piers Morgan has spoken out after storming off the set of “Good Morning Britain” Tuesday. Britain’s broadcast regulator received over 41,000 complaints after Morgan slammed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over their recent tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview. After it was confirmed by ITV that he wouldn’t be returning to the program, Morgan wrote on Twitter, “I said I didn’t believe Meghan Markle in her Oprah interview. I’ve had time to reflect on this opinion, and I still don’t. If you did, OK. Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on. Thanks for all the love, and hate. I’m off to spend more time with my opinions.” He added a quote from former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill about free speech.
-ETCanada
★ Nancy Grace will host a new “America’s Most Wanted” aftershow beginning on Monday. In January, Fox announced the “America’s Most Wanted” revival. The unscripted show, based on the original series hosted by John Walsh, which ran from 1988-2012, will premiere alongside “Crime Stories With Nancy Grace” in March and “will investigate some of the country’s most dangerous fugitives.” Grace has also signed a new multiyear deal to continue hosting Crime Stories.
-TheWrap
★ As fans eagerly await the highly-anticipated “Friends” reunion at HBO Max, they can sit down and do a full binge of the series while getting a taste of some Central Perk flavors. Serendipity Brands has launched a Friends-themed ice cream flavor – “Central Perk Almond Fudge” – and it’s already available for purchase as a permanent addition to the brand’s dessert lineup. Serendipity has also debuted flavors inspired by “The Goonies”, “Caddyshack”, and “A Christmas Story”. (What? No Peanut “Ghostbusters” Parfait?)
-PopCulture

TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Joel McHale, Pete Buttigieg, Adam Duritz
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Jennifer Garner, Don Lemon, Adrianne Lenker
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Amy Poehler, Phoebe Bridgers, John Herndon
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Eddie Murphy, Tiana Major9
• “Conan” (TBS): Anthony Anderson
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Naomi Judd, Roger Daltrey
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Wesley Snipes
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Emma Corrin, Dr. Lisa Lippman
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Jennifer Garner, Maren Morris
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Paul Bettany, Maria Bakalova (R 1/21/21)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS): Ryan Eggold, Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue
• “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC): The doctors are joined by the team from Station 19 as they tend to a tense situation; Jo convinces Hayes to bend the rules on a case; Maggie and Winston reconnect.
• “A Million Little Things” (ABC): As COVID-19 becomes more widespread across the U.S., Boston goes into lockdown, putting Rome’s movie in jeopardy and forcing Maggie to return home from Oxford; Eddie’s back surgery is canceled.

BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Megan Thee Stallion — celebrated International Women’s Day by offering up a new round of scholarships and grants worth $1 million. She’s teamed up with Fashion Nova, with whom she has her clothing line, to encourage applicants to sign up for the Women on Top initiative. Each recipient will receive $25,000 or more to invest in their future.
• The Weeknd — His hit ‘Blinding Lights’ has become the first-ever song to spend a whole year in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The previous record was held by Post Malone’s ‘Circles’, which spent 39 weeks in the top 10.
• 2021 Juno Awards – The Weeknd leads all nominees with 6 nods. Jessie Reyez, JP Saxe and Justin Bieber have 5 each. Jann Arden will be inducted to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and The Tragically Hip will be honored with the Humanitarian Award at the May 14 ceremony, which will originate from Toronto, with filming taking place in several other Canadian locations.
• The Rolling Stones — 50 unreleased songs stretching back to the 1960s mysteriously appeared online recently. No official word on where they came from, but the collection is titled “Fully Finished Studio Outtakes”. Included is a version of ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll’ featuring Ron Wood before he joined the band, along with David Bowie. Both were erased from the final release.
• Ted Nugent — Burley Auction will present the Ted Nugent “Guns, Guitars & Hot Rod Cars” auction on March 27th. Over 400 items will be sold, including a collection of custom guns and rare, prototype and one-of-a-kind guitars from Nugent’s personal collection, vintage touring equipment, a fully restored 1968 Ford Bronco, and a custom 2015 Dodge Hellcat Challenger.
• Alice in Chains — guitarist Jerry Cantrell has completed his first solo album in nearly 20 years. He posted a studio shot of himself with Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan with the words: “What a crazy journey … always is. Look forward to setting it free upon your ear holes sometime soon.”
• Jana Kramer — In the spirit of International Women’s Day, she posted about a deeply personal decision she’s made: To get a breast lift and augmentation surgery. She wrote: “I have been insanely hesitant on sharing this because, honestly, I’m afraid of the reactions.” She wrote that the surgery is something she’s been considering for years, admitting that she’s struggled with body insecurity all her life.
• Trisha Yearwood – Her coronavirus battle is behind her. She says she has finally tested negative for COVID-19, ending nearly four weeks of illness and worry. She posted that her husband, Garth Brooks, never got the virus, but went through all of the precautions.
• Thomas Rhett — announced last week that he’ll be releasing the double album “Country Again” in two parts this year, starting with Side A on April 30. On his Instagram Story, he told fans: “This is one of my favorite records I’ve ever gotten to make. I feel so centered as a person.” Rhett also said that the new songs were written about the lessons he has learned “over this decade and for sure in 2020.”

SHOOTING THE BULL

ROYAL TREATMENT:
Many viewers were mortified watching Oprah Winfrey’s bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but none more so than those in England. And it wasn’t the contents of the program that left the biggest impression, but the commercials. British viewers who streamed the royal special were shocked to see advertisements for prescription drugs including Skyrizi, Kisqali and Jardiance. Advertising prescription drugs is banned in the UK — and most of the world, excluding the US, New Zealand, and Canada, where they are strictly limited. Writer Ayesha A. Siddiqi compiled some of the most stunned Twitter reactions of Brits after seeing what some are calling “a shocking exposé of the American pharmaceutical industry” One Twitter user wrote: “If these medicine ads are what it’s like to not have an NHS (National Health Service) I never want to experience that.” Another posted: “i can’t understand why american tv ads are like “ask your doctor for…” or “tell your doctor…” why the (heck) would you be the one to tell a DOCTOR what medicine to give you?????”
(Our question is “Why is diarrhea a side-effect of EVERY SINGLE medicine, INCLUDING those used to treat diarrhea?”
-NYPost, Twitter

CASHING OUT:
Lots of people use social media to try and make money, but a Toronto man is using it to give money away. Since last summer, Juwon Thomas has been hiding bills around the city, and uploading videos to TikTok showing clues of where his followers can cash in. He tries to find unique locations for his hiding spots and has been known to tape money onto street signs, and to stuff it into nooks and crannies. The 22-year-old says he hides money because he wants to give back to people who have been struggling during the pandemic. He has given away as much as $300 during a single money hunt, and has amassed over 100,000 likes across his videos. Thomas has also handed out gift cards and teased a future MacBook giveaway.
(Never mind where he’s hiding the money…I want to know where he works!)
(Mom, I followed him home. Can I keep him?)
(Be sure to check out his other account: “How to make lots of money – on your printer”!)
-BlogTo

ON PINS AND NEEDLES ABOUT THE NEEDLE:
Are all those news stories about the COVID vaccination effort making you needle-phobic? And the images of giant syringes to encourage or advertise being vaccinated don’t help either. Here are some tips on “facing your fears” when it comes to rolling up your sleeve…
⇒ Put it in perspective:  Be positive about the reasons you are getting the vaccine and remember that any pain will be short-lived, like a stubbed toe. If you’re getting the 2-dose regimen, be objective about how the first one went, and that you got through it. (You have no idea how afraid I am of stubbing my toe!)
⇒ Bring a support person:  Many vaccination sites will allow this. Ask ahead of time. (My perfect support person would bring along a blindfold, and a stiff belt of scotch!)
⇒ Practice deep breathing:  This, or other techniques can help you stay calm at the site. Eat something and drink water beforehand to reduce the chance of fainting. You can also request to be inoculated in a reclined position. (Right after I pass out?)
⇒ Tell your vaccinator of your concerns:  Explain that you aren’t very good with needles. Health care providers are used to that.
⇒ Don’t be afraid to seek professional help:  If your fear is that intense, yet you still feel strongly about getting vaccinated, a therapist can use cognitive-behavioral techniques or exposure therapy to help. (I’m not sure the term “exposure therapy” is a good one to use in this situation!)
(Maybe it would help if they’d would stop calling it a “jab” on TV…!)
-NBC

FUNNIEST TWEETS OF THE WEEK FROM WOMEN:
⇒ Any time I see a couple jogging together, I try to figure out which one of them is unhappy about it. – Elizabeth Hackett
⇒ age 21: excited for shots!!!! 2021: excited for shots!!!!! – Alexandra Petri
⇒ has anyone else not been to the dentist since Covid and also not for the five years before that? – Ely Kreimendahl
⇒ nooooo i just sent an email that said “as you mentioned in your precious email” instead of “previous email”. sick at myself – Beth McColl
…AND A FEW FROM PARENTS:
⇒ Love those rare days when your kid can just go to elementary school without having to dress up as something. – Simon Holland
⇒ feeding a toddler is like only having $0.50 to fill up your gas tank every time – mom mom mom mom mom
⇒ i have a question about kids. and my question is what the hell – Dadman Walking
-HuffPost

DID YOU KNOW?
Talking to someone on the phone for 10 minutes a day helps ease loneliness. According to a study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, those who received brief phone calls over the course of a month reported feeling 20% less lonely, on average. Anxiety and depression saw even greater decreases thanks to phone conversations with trained volunteers, who discussed a range of subjects with study participants, including their daily lives, favourite hobbies and getting to know them better. While the way we communicate with others has changed since the start of the pandemic, this research highlights just how important picking up the phone is.
-CountryLivingUK

BS CHRONOMETER 03.11.21

TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1931 [90] Rupert Murdoch, Melbourne Australia, media magnate (FOX-TV, News Corp)/estimated net worth $23.5 billion/married to former model Jerry Hall

1968 [53] Lisa Loeb, Bethesda MD, pop singer (‘Stay [I Missed You]’, ‘I Do’)

1969 [52] Terrence Howard, Chicago IL, TV actor (‘Lucious Lyon’ on “Empire” 2015-20)/movie actor (“The Butler”, “Iron Man”) COMING UP…”Triumph”

1971 [50] Johnny Knoxville (Phillip Clapp), Knoxville TN, movie actor (“Jackass” movies, “The Dukes of Hazzard”)/TV personality (“Jackass” 2000-02)

1979 [42] Benji & Joel Madden, Waldorf MD, twin brother pop-rock musicians (The Madden Bros-‘We Are Done’, Good Charlotte-‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous’)

1983 [38] Melissa Rycroft, Dallas TX, reality TV personality (“Redneck Island” 2016, “Dancing With the Stars” 2015, “The Bachelor” 2009, “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” 2006-08)

1993 [28] Jodie Comer, Liverpool UK, TV actress (“Killing Eve” since 2018)

TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• Worship of Tools Day” (aka “Tool Appreciation Day”), celebrating men’s inexplicable fascination with high-priced gizmos. (What tool have you bought, then never used?)

• “World Plumbing Day”, initiated by the World Plumbing Council to celebrate the important role plumbing plays in the health & safety of modern society. (To celebrate, wear your pants at half-mast … just like a plumber.) NET: https://www.worldplumbing.org/worldplumbingday/

• “Johnny Appleseed Day”, Yes, there really was a Johnny Appleseed. His real name was John Chapman when he was born in Massachusetts in 1774. He didn’t just walk around the country sprinkling apple seeds all over the place. He was a serious nurseryman who established orchards in the wilderness of the Midwest. He then gave or sold trees to pioneers who depended on apples as a staple in their diets.

• “National Promposal Day”, when high school students across North America celebrate their creativity by sharing their unique and often elaborate proposals to ask each other to prom.

• “Debunking Day”, a day do everything the “MythBuster” guys ever told you not to try at home. (Then call your mom, crying because your apartment blew up . . .)

• “Popcorn Lover’s Day”, a day to enjoy popcorn and share it with others. You can have popcorn in the traditional way, with salt and butter. Or, you can add any one of a number of flavors to it. Some popular flavors are cheddar cheese, parmesan garlic, and even hot pepper. (And caramel!)

COMING UP . . .
[Fri] Girl Scout Day
[Fri] National Alfred Hitchcock Day
[Sat] Donald Duck Day
[Sat] Good Samaritan Day

THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1997 [24] The ashes of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, along with those of Timothy Leary and 22 others, are launched into space orbit aboard a Pegasus XL rocket

2020 [01] Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 23 years in prison for a criminal sex act and rape in New York

TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1997 [24] Thirty years after being admitted as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Paul McCartney is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to popular music

2018 [03] “American Idol”, which ran for 15 seasons on Fox (until 2016), returns on ABC with new judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan

TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2002 [19] England’s Plymouth University becomes the first school to offer a degree in ‘Surfing’

2020 [01] COVID-19 is declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, with 121,564 cases worldwide and 4,373 deaths

TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2011 [10] A massive earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands and causing the second-largest nuclear accident in history

BULL’S BITS    

BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 514 doors and 760 windows.
✓ Most ancient Romans lived in apartment buildings.
✓ Clocks run slightly faster on mountaintops than at sea level.
✓ Scientists have found that the higher your IQ, the more you dream.
✓ The state of Washington was originally called “Columbia”, but the name was changed so it wouldn’t be confused with Washington, District of Columbia (DC).
✓ If you commit any crime at sea, you are considered a pirate.
-WhattheFFacts, BathroomReadersInstitute

Best of BS . . .
BS SIGNS SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER:
• Newspaper boy stops aiming for snow drifts, begins targeting shrubs.
• First robin doo on your windshield.
• Wife found trapped under pile of gardening catalogues.
• Annoying neighbors finally shut off Christmas lights.
• You drive with sunroof open, heater on full blast.
• You go to the driving range on Saturday, shovel the walks on Sunday.
• Garbage collectors start going topless.
• Thousands of RV’ers massing on Florida peninsula for annual migration north.
• At H&R Block, you’re asked to ‘take a number please’.
• In Vancouver/Seattle, Winter rain gives way to … Spring rain.
-First published in BS in 2000

TODAY’S SLICE OF BS:
➠ Analysts predict gas prices could soon hit an all-time high. (I think the solution is building more nuclear power plants. Unless those nuclear power plants are near my home. Then I don’t think the solution is building more nuclear power plants.)
➠ St Patrick’s Day is coming up March 17th. (Not for me! If I wanted to see a bunch of idiots drink themselves to sleep, I’d just watch reruns of “Jersey Shore”!)
➠ A New York couple just got married at the age of 94. (Probably the only time at a backyard wedding, the groom kept yelling at the minister to “Get off my lawn!”)
➠ A new comet has been found and it will pass Earth in December. (Every time a comet passes Earth, it renews interest in astronomy. Just like every time there’s a new Eddie Murphy movie, it renews interest in not going to see movies…)
➠ In Florida, a man was arrested after stripping completely naked and jumping on a neighbor’s trampoline. (Authorities say this was a ‘low point’ but his friends say he will ‘bounce back’…)

BS WEB GOODIE:
Or, you could just stand up (sound up):  https://tinyurl.com/kvrkf4p

BS PHONE STARTER:
What, to you, is the most soothing sound? (A Cat purring? A clock ticking? Nature sounds? Limp Bizkit?)

BS RANDOM JOKE:
I read once that 26 is too old to still live with your parents. It was on a note, stuck to my bedroom door.

BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question:  One in 8 women admit they get annoyed when they meet a woman who has THIS. What is it? Answer:  The same name

BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Worry is interest paid in advance for a debt you may never owe.