Friday, May 31, 2024 – Edition: #7725
The BS Press!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Usher will receive some well-earned recognition at this year’s BET Awards. He’ll be honored at the June 30 ceremony with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement BET Award, which is presented to gamechangers and industry pioneers who have left a lasting impact on culture and entertainment. Previous Lifetime Achievement BET Award recipients include Whitney Houston, Prince, Queen Latifah, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lionel Richie.
-ET
★ Kate Beckinsale has broken her silence about why she was hospitalized earlier this year. In a since-deleted Instagram post, which featured clips of her dancing, her remark came after someone commented that she looked “too thin”. The 50-year-old actress explained that she “spent 6 weeks in hospital due to copiously vomiting blood” due to a hole between her esophagus and stomach. She also said she “experienced a severe flare of [her] mast cell disease” which was “mitigated by (the) stress, shock, and grief” of the recent death of her stepfather Roy Battersby.
-Independent
★ A GoFundMe campaign to support the family of late “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor earned more than $50,000 in donations in its first 24 hours. It was started by Wactor’s godmother, Michaelle Kinard, after the actor was shot and killed in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday. Wactor was 37. The crowdfunding goal is set at $100,000, and at last check had exceeded $97,000, and counting. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/26b8sc7t
★ Ellen DeGeneres is embarking on one last hurrah in her stand-up career. This summer, the 66-year-old comedian will embark on a 27-date North American tour, titled: “Ellen’s Last Stand… Up”. She calls it the “last opportunity” to witness DeGeneres in her “final curtain call.” The tour will see the former talk show host “reintroduce her trademark wit and laughter-inducing anecdotes” to a live crowd, according to a release. Tickets go on sale today. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5yx4jus7
★ The line where the sky meets the sea is calling “Moana” once again, as Disney has released the first trailer for its highly-anticipated sequel. The clip sees the return of ‘Moana’ and ‘Maui’, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, where they reunite 3 years later, as Moana says, thanks to “a call from the ancestors to sail to new skies and reconnect our people across the entire ocean”. Maui then appears on her boat, and refers to a chicken and pig as “boat snacks.” “Moana 2” opens Nov. 27. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/55znbhsw
-Variety
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Maya Rudolph, Jacob Batalon, Crowded House
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Glen Powell, Christian Slater, Arlo Parks (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Steve Carell, Paul Simon (R)
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Chloe Radcliffe, Matt Braunger, Chris Fleming (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Tiffany Haddish, Cam Heyward, Jay Weinberg (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Viggo Mortensen, Vicky Krieps
• “The Talk” (CBS): Sofia Vergara, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Jason Derulo, Sarah Hyland
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Michael McDonald, Paul Reiser
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Sarah Jakes Roberts
• “Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail” (DSC): Season 7 premiere
• “Stanley Cup Playoffs” (Check local listings): Edmonton Oilers @ Dallas Stars
• “NBA Playoffs” (Check local listings): Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves
SATURDAY:
• “The Life & Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson” (LIFE): 18-year-old Nicole Brown meets 30-year-old superstar OJ Simpson while hostessing at a restaurant; they embark on a whirlwind romance which results in her drawing a final line in the sand that proves to be fatal.
• “For Love & Honey” (HALL): Beekeeper Eva uncovers an ancient fresco while rescuing a hive. A visiting archaeologist persuades her to help him on his quest across Malta.
• “Stanley Cup Playoffs” (Check local listings): New York Rangers @ Florida Panthers
• “NBA Playoffs” (Check local listings): Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks (if necessary)
SUNDAY:
• “The Real Housewives of Dubai” (BRAVO): Season 2 premiere
• “Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse” (HGTV): Series premiere. Chip and Joanna Gaines go big with their next project to revive a lakehouse estate stuck in the 1960s.
• “Violent Earth” (CNN): Series premiere. Tornadoes are among the most powerful and destructive natural hazards in the world. Experts explain their formation, while residents of Kentucky and Missouri share harrowing survival stories.
• “Stanley Cup Playoffs” (Check local listings): Dallas Stars @ Edmonton Oilers
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Billie Eilish – Her new album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” has hit the Billboard Hot 100 hard, soft and everywhere in between. Every one of the LP’s 10 songs is currently charting on the Billboard Hot 100, ranging from ‘Lunch’ at #5 to ‘Bittersuite’ at #36.
• Camila Cabello — In December, fans suspected she and Drake were dating after the 2 were photographed together in Turks & Caicos. It turns out they were recording. She has revealed that Drizzy appears on not one – but 2 songs on her upcoming album “C,XOXO”, out June 28. He guests on ‘Hot Uptown’ and a 2-minute-long interlude titled ‘Uuugly’.
• Elton John – June is Pride Month, and he is offering fans the chance to meet him as a fundraiser for his AIDS foundation. Fans are invited to record a video of themselves singing or reciting lyrics from ‘Your Song’, and adding the name of the person “who has always supported you to be your most authentic self.” Then, post the video Instagram with the hashtag #SpeakUpSingOutGiveaway. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yrjm9wr8
• The Police – July 26, they’ll release a massive 6-CD box set celebrating their 1983 album “Synchronicity”. The limited-edition set will feature 55 previously unreleased tracks, including never-heard demos and live tracks, plus new interviews and liner notes, archive memorabilia and photographs. It will also be available on 4 and 2 LPs, 2 CDs, a picture disc and an e-album. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/38kn5wmw
• Jon Bon Jovi – has finally spoken about his son Jake Bongiovi’s wedding to Millie Bobby Brown. He said to BBC: “It was a very small family wedding and the bride looked gorgeous and Jake is happy as can be…They’re great, they are absolutely fantastic.” Following an intimate ceremony earlier this month, the couple is planning a bigger wedding later this year.
• Luke Bryan – If you thought ‘Love You, Miss You, Mean It’ sounds like classic Luke Bryan, you’re not the only one. He said in an interview: “We go record and then everybody’s like, ‘Oh my God, this kind of sounds like vintage throwback Luke stuff.’” Bryan claims he didn’t realize that at the time, but “it kind of does”.
• Megan Moroney – shared on her Instagram Story that her new single ‘Never Left Me’ from “Twisters: The Album” will drop today. She also posted an audio clip of the song. It will be the 3rd preview track from the soundtrack to the “Twisters” movie, out July 19, following Luke Combs’ ‘Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma’ and Bailey Zimmerman’s ‘Hell or High Water’.
• Cole Swindell – wrote his current single ‘Forever to Me’ when he realized he hadn’t yet written the perfect song for his upcoming nuptials to Courtney Little. After a show, he and his songwriting partners “were just talking, and somehow I ended up saying…like, ‘She’s forever to me’…they both looked at each other and just were like, ‘That’s it. That’s what it’s got to be, ‘Forever to Me.'” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y7n3u44u
SHOOTING THE BULL
TODAY’S MOVIE OPENINGS:
• “Summer Camp” (PG-13, Comedy): Nora, Ginny, and Mary are childhood best friends who used to spend summers at a sleep away camp together. Years later, when the opportunity to get back together for a camp reunion presents itself, they seize it. (Kathy Bates, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy) No Tomatometer rating.
• “Ezra” (R, Comedy/Drama): Comedian Max co-parents his autistic son Ezra with his ex-wife. Faced with crucial decisions about Ezra’s future, Max and Ezra go on a life-changing cross-country road trip. (Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne) Tomatometer: 65%
• “In A Violent Nature” (R, Mystery/Horror, limited): When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, spurred on by a horrific 60-year-old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. (Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love) Tomatometer: 88%
FORGET ‘DOOMSCROLLING’ – TRY ‘DREAMSCROLLING’:
New research has found that the average person spends nearly 2½ hours a day “dreamscrolling”. That’s defined as using devices to look at dream purchases or things people would like to own someday. And while some might think that dreamscrolling is a big waste of time, 71% of people believe it’s time well spent, because doing so helps motivates them to reach their financial goals. The poll of 2,000 adults in the US also found that half of us dreamscroll while at work. By the way, that 2½ hours per day…works out to about 36 DAYS per year.
(But, hey, if you’re doing it at work, at least you’re getting paid…!)
(You call it what you want. But it’ll always be a “bathroom break” to me!)
-StudyFinds
THE FINAL FRONTIER DISAPPEARED:
It seems Vulcan is not a real planet after all. In a plot-twist worthy of the iconic sci-fi show “Star Trek”, the planet thought to orbit the star 40 Eridani A – the fictional home of ‘Mr. Spock’s’ planet Vulcan – appears to be nothing more than an astronomical illusion. A new study using NASA’s NEID instrument has confirmed that the planet astronomers believed they discovered in 2018 in this distant star system — is just a mirage caused by the star’s own pulses and jitters. The possible detection of a planet orbiting the star made famous by Star Trek caused excitement when astronomers revealed their findings 6 years ago. But now, NASA’s precision instruments seem to have returned the planet Vulcan to the realm of science fiction for good.
(So, you’re saying that…none of “Star Trek”…is true?)
(Well – that’s one less place they have to “boldly go where no man has gone before”!)
-StudyFinds
NEWS OF THE WEIRD:
➢ When Corey Harris joined a court Zoom call, the judge had an immediate question for him: “Are you driving?” The Michigan man replied: “Actually, I’m pulling into my doctor’s office … give me one second. I’m parking right now.” That was a bit of a problem. Video of the May 15 court appearance shows that public defenders “looked disappointed and just as bewildered as the judge”. Why? Well, as the judge put it: “Maybe I don’t understand something. This is a driving while license suspended (case), and he was just driving, and he didn’t have a license.” His public defender responded: “That is correct, your honor.” The judge ordered Harris to report to the county jail by 6pm. You’ll also note that the guy was not only breaking the law by driving with a suspended license, he was holding his cell phone while driving, which is illegal in Michigan. (…not to mention the fact he was on a VIDEO call, of all things!)
➢ Dubai scientist and filmmaker Hashem Al-Ghaili is aiming to make available the concept of transplanting a head onto a donor body for those suffering from cancer or paralysis. As farfetched as it looks and sounds, his recently-released video explaining the tech, which he calls “BrainBridge,” is getting plenty of attention. The proposed head transplantation process involves attaching a patient’s head onto a brain-dead donor body, with the goal of preserving the patient’s consciousness, memories, and cognitive abilities. Al-Ghaili feels that the procedure could be available within 8 years, thanks to the integration of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence. His 3D animated promo clip, which feels like a movie trailer, shows 2 robotic surgical machines with human-like arms and hands removing the head from the patient’s body, and placing it onto a brain-dead donor body. Al-Ghaili believes that a human brain could last “several hundred years, provided the rest of the body remains young.” (Doubt it. I’m pretty sure that any body in its right mind would reject my brain. Wait? Did that make any sense at all?) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2924c4w3
-Newser, StudyFinds
DID YOU KNOW?
Scientists have long known that crows are smart. But a new study suggests they even have the ability to count — out loud. That’s a first for an animal species other than humans, Live Science reports. The scientists rank the out-loud counting ability of crows to be about on par with human toddlers. Researchers worked with 3 crows and found they could reliably count to 4 with their caws, though they add the birds could likely go higher if needed. (But who’s counting?)
-Newser
BS CHRONOMETER 05.31.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Smile Day”, You’ve probably heard that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Babies smile about 400 times a day. The average adult? About 20 times. Today, help fix that by smiling as much as possible. (Here’s why: https://tinyurl.com/5n8s84dy )
• “Macaroon Day”, honoring those ooey-gooey coconut cookies that stick to your fillings.
• “Save Your Hearing Day”, something older people often advise younger people to do. But most don’t listen until they reach the point when they can’t. (***See “Today’s Record”, below***)
• “Speak in Complete Sentences Day”, a good excuse to bring up our pet peeve about newscasters who write sentences without active verbs, i.e.: “Police searching for suspects in a kidnapping today.” (NOT a complete sentence. [Ha! Neither was that!])
• “World No-Tobacco Day”, as declared by the World Health Organization, to encourage people to kick their butts. (I quit smoking cold turkey. And started putting it on my sandwiches instead…)
• “Meditation Day”, to partake in this mental exercise of private devotion. It uses the techniques of concentration and contemplation to attain spiritual awareness and purification, and to calm the body and mind. (I tried to get a job teaching meditation, but I didn’t have a good inner view!)
• “Autonomous Vehicle Day”, to honor advances in the autonomous vehicle industry, and to recognize the potential opportunities in changing the way the we travel. (As long as they don’t run into any obstacles…)
SATURDAY:
• “Dare Day”, a day to do something that you have been wanting to do, but couldn’t get up the courage to try. (Once I dared a woman to ask me ‘out’. But instead, she asked me to ‘leave’!)
• “New Year’s Resolution Recommitment Day”. By 5 months into the year, stats show most resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Today, reflect on how true you’ve been to yours, and plan ahead for the rest of the year. (Did you have to remind me?)
• “Flip a Coin Day”, a day of easy decision making. Just flip and follow the results. (Or ask Siri to do it for you…)
• “Global Day of Parents”, a UN observance since 2012 to honor all parents and appreciate their selfless commitment to their children.
• “International Children’s Day”, first proclaimed in 1925 by the World Conference for the Well-Being of Children, to draw attention to any and all children’s issues. (If it’s both Parents Day and Children’s Day, we just might have a problem…)
• “Go Barefoot Day”, to enjoy the comforts and pleasant sensations of shedding footwear. Why? Because it feels great! The members of the ‘Society for Barefoot Living’ believe you should go barefoot all the time. (My family believes I should not…)
• “Heimlich Maneuver Day”, honoring the ‘abdominal thrust’ method of stopping choking, first described by Dr Henry Heimlich in a 1974 article in the journal “Emergency Medicine”. FAST FACT: In 2016, 96-year-old Heimlich used the technique himself for the first time when a resident at his retirement home in Cincinnati was choking. Heimlich died in December, 2016. (Of a heart attack, in case you were wondering.)
• “Say Something Nice Day”, a day to thank someone, encourage someone, compliment everyone. (Remember, if you can’t say something nice … at least say it quietly!)
• “Oscar the Grouch Day”, celebrating Oscar the Grouch’s birthday, the day on which he is the grouchiest. Episode 3,866 of “Sesame Street” revealed that Oscar’s birthday is on June 1st.
• “World Milk Day”, established by the UN to recognize the importance of milk as a global food, and to bring attention to activities connected with the dairy sector. (And they’ll milk it for all it’s worth…) LINK: https://worldmilkday.org/
SUNDAY:
• “Rocky Road Day”, saluting the ice cream flavor that’s made with chocolate ice cream, nuts and marshmallows. (…as immortalized by ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic in his Joan Jett parody, ‘I Love Rocky Road’).
• “Bubba Day”, honoring those formally named — or just called ‘Bubba’. (We’re betting most of ’em live in ‘Dixie’.) “Bubba” is a term of endearment formed from the word “brother”. A search for famous “Bubbas” reveals that most are nicknamed, rather than named Bubba at birth, including President Bill ‘Bubba’ Clinton, Charles ‘Bubba’ Smith (“Police Academy”) and golfer Gerry ‘Bubba’ Watson Jr.
• “Rotisserie Chicken Day”. This delicious style of chicken is cooked whole on a rotisserie or spit that turns continuously over a heat source, roasting it slowly. This sears the skin to seal in the flavor, resulting in a tender and juicy chicken. (…and results in the dog laying around the kitchen all day, drooling).
• “I Love My Dentist Day”, a big salute today to the people who CAN handle the tooth!
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1930 [94] Clint Eastwood, San Francisco CA, movie director (Oscars-“Million Dollar Baby”, “Unforgiven”)/movie actor (“Dirty Harry”, “The Bridges of Madison County”)
1943 [81] Joe Namath (“Broadway Joe”), Beaver Falls PA, ex-NFL quarterback (NY Jets Super Bowl MVP 1969; Pro Bowl 1972/Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1985/famous Hanes pantyhose spokesperson
1949 [75] Tom Berenger, Chicago IL, movie actor (“Platoon”, “Major League” films)/TV actor (“One Life to Live” 1975-76)
1960 [64] Chris Elliott, New York NY, movie actor (“Cabin Boy”, “There’s Something About Mary”)/TV actor (“Schitt’s Creek” 2015-20, “How I Met Your Mother” 2009-14)
1961 [63] Lea Thompson, Rochester NY, movie actress (“Back to the Future”), TV actress (“Caroline in the City” 1995-2000)
1962 [62] Corey Hart, Montréal QC, pop singer (‘Sunglasses at Night’, ‘Never Surrender’)
1964 [60] Darryl McDaniels (“DMC”), Harlem NY, rapper (Run-DMC-w/Aerosmith-‘Walk This Way’, ‘It’s Tricky’)
1965 [59] Brooke Shields, New York NY, model-movie actress (“The Blue Lagoon”)/author (“Down Came the Rain”)/TV actress (“Lipstick Jungle” 2008-09, “Suddenly Susan” 1996-2000)
1976 [48] Colin Farrell, Dublin Ireland, movie actor (“Total Recall”, “Horrible Bosses”) COMING UP…“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey”
1991 [33] Azealia Banks, New York City NY, rapper, pop singer-songwriter (‘Chasing Time’)
1991 [33] Farrah Abraham, Omaha NE, reality TV star (“16 & Pregnant”, “Teen Mom”, “Celebrity Big Brother”)/mattress actress
1996 [28] Normani (Hamilton), Atlanta GA, pop singer (Fifth Harmony-‘Work from Home’, reality TV contestant (“Dancing With The Stars”- Season 24)
SATURDAY: Morgan Freeman (“The Shawshank Redemption”) is 87; Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones) is 77; Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn) is 71; Lisa Hartman Black (“Knots Landing”) is 68; Heidi Klum (“America’s Got Talent”) is 51; Alanis Morissette (‘You Oughta Know’) is 50; Brandi Carlile (‘The Joke’) is 43; Amy Schumer (“Trainwreck”) is 43; Tom Holland (“Spider-Man”) is 28; Willow Shields (“The Hunger Games”) is 24
SUNDAY: Jerry Mathers (“Leave It to Beaver”) is 76; Dana Carvey (“Wayne’s World”) is 68; Liam Cunningham (“Game of Thrones”) is 63; Andy Cohen (“Watch What Happens Live”) is 56; Wentworth Miller (“Prison Break”) is 52; Wayne Brady (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) is 52; Zachary Quinto (“Star Trek”) is 47; Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes) is 44; Awkwafina (‘Yellow Ranger’) is 36
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1990 [34] “Seinfeld,” starring Jerry Seinfeld, debuts on NBC, as “Seinfeld Chronicles”
2000 [24] “Survivor” debuts as a 3-month Summer show on CBS (Richard, Rudy, Susan, Sean, Colleen, Kelly, Greg, and Gervase quickly become household names). Season 46 wound up last week
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2014 [10] Michael Jackson becomes the first artist with Top 10 hits in 5 consecutive decades, as ‘Love Never Felt So Good’ reaches #9
2014 [10] Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ becomes the first video to reach 2 billion views on YouTube (now over 5.1 billion)
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1976 [48] The Who sets the Guinness Record for ‘Loudest Concert’, putting out a total of 76,000 watts of power to reach 126 decibels (no wonder it’s “Save Your Hearing Day”). Guinness no longer certifies this record.
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Black cats are considered good luck in Britain and Japan.
✓ T-shirts were originally made for unmarried men who didn’t know how to sew buttons on collared shirts.
✓ If you’re feeling nervous, chew gum. Your brain will reason that you’re not in danger because you wouldn’t be eating if you were.
✓ Only a quarter of the Sahara Desert is sandy.
✓ Before the 1800s, people would sleep in the evening for 3-4 hours, wake for 2-3 hours to do some activities, then go back to sleep until morning. These were known as “first” and “second” sleeps.
✓ Russians showed up 12 days late to the 1908 London Olympics because they used the Julian calendar, which is 2 weeks behind the Gregorian calendar used by the rest of the world.
-UberFacts, Facts
Best of BS . . .
BS STUPID ALLERGY QUESTIONS:
• Can I watch Charlie Brown if I’m allergic to ‘peanuts’?
• Am I allergic to romantic comedies because I get watery eyes?
• What do I do if I’m allergic to allergy medications?
• If you’re allergic to mussels, is it safe to go to the gym?
• Do I sound cool when I say “I’m sneezy fo sheezy?”
• Am I being rash?
• Can I borrow your sleeve?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2021
BS ORIENTATION VIDEOS IN HELL:
• “How to Properly Exit the Hand Basket”
• “How to Have a Snowball’s Chance”
• “For Those of You Who Worked as a Server or in Retail, This Won’t Be Much of an Adjustment”
• “Enjoying Limitless Decaf”
• “Don’t Bother to Stop, Drop, or Roll”
• “What to Do When Someone’s NOT on Fire”
• “Why There Are So Many Cats Here?”
• “Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t”
• “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
BS WEB GOODIE:
How my week went: https://tinyurl.com/2u5m5yfm
BS RANDOM JOKE:
Never try to keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It’s cheaper.
BS PHONE STARTER:
The weekend is almost here. Where’s YOUR happy place?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
25% of couples have gotten into a fight over THIS at meal time. What is it?
Answer: Stealing food from the other’s plate
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The most wasted of days is one without laughter.
