Thursday, May 30, 2024 — Edition: #7723
Sheet Rocks!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Federal investigators are preparing to bring accusers of Sean “Diddy” Combs before a federal grand jury, sources say. CNN reports this is a signal that the US Justice Department is moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of Combs. Possible witnesses have been notified that they could be brought in to testify, according to one source. This would mark a significant escalation in the government’s ongoing investigation involving Combs. He has been named in 8 civil lawsuits since November – 7 directly accusing him of sexual assault.
-CNN
★ Tom Cruise has been forced to press pause on the 8th “Mission: Impossible” film, reports say. While the SAG-AFTRA strikes initially delayed production, he managed to pick up where he left off in March. But now, a technical malfunction has caused further complications. The Mirror says that cast and crew were forced to take a step back from filming after a malfunction with a submarine occurred. The device used to lower the structure jammed, requiring ongoing repairs. Currently, Mission: Impossible 8 is set to premiere May 23, 2025, but with production pushed back, it’s unknown if that will change.
-Hello!
★ Mamie Laverock, who starred as nursing student ‘Rosaleen Sullivan’ on Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart,” is in critical condition after falling 5 stories from a balcony walkway. On May 11, the 19-year-old was taken to a Winnipeg hospital due to a “medical emergency,” according to a GoFundMe campaign her family created. She was transferred to a Vancouver hospital, where she “was escorted out of a secure unit…and taken up to a balcony walkway from which she fell 5 stories.” The fall resulted in life-threatening injuries, necessitating multiple extensive surgeries. She is currently on life support.
-People
★ “Bridgerton” Season 3 is Netflix’s most-watched series for a second week since its debut. Part 1 of Season 3, which follows ‘Penelope Featherington’ and ‘Colin Bridgerton’s’ friends-to-lovers arc, logged 25.3 million views during the week of week of May 20. Despite being down 44% from its first week, it was still the streamer’s most-watched TV series of the week. As fans await the Part 2 release next month, Bridgerton’s Season 1 was the 2nd-most-watched show, while the 3-part docuseries “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal” was third.
-TheWrap
★ Jim Parsons has weighed in on the possibility that there could be more of ‘Sheldon Cooper’ in the future — if a sequel to “The Big Bang Theory” ever materializes. He was recently asked what it would take for him to reprise the role. His answer: “Reincarnation. Next lifetime.” He elaborated, a bit, saying: “Never say never to anything. Life is long, God-willing, but I don’t think so.” He recently reprised his role in the “Young Sheldon” series finale, a Big Bang Theory prequel.
-Deadline
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Sofía Vergara, Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, Andres Valencia, St. Vincent
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Anne Hathaway, Melanie Lynskey, Lang Lang (R)
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Jennifer Hudson, Marisa Abela (R)
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Jack Martin, Maggie Winters, Vinny Thomas (R)
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Quinta Brunson, Bobby Moynihan, Les Savy Fav, Jon Theodore (R)
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Brittney Griner
• “The Talk” (CBS): Susie Essman, Flame Monroe
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Sunny Hostin, Judah the Lion
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Jeremy Renner, Lauren Ash, Chuck Aoki, Chris Pratt, Jasmine Cephas Jones
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): TikTok’s Grandma Babs does some retro cooking.
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Keith Corbin
• “9-1-1” (ABC): Season 7 finale
• “Grey’s Anatomy” (FOX): Season 20 finale
• “60 Days In” (A&E): Season 9 premiere
• “Stanley Cup Playoffs” (Check local listings): Florida Panthers @ New York Rangers
• “NBA Playoffs”(Check local listings): Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves (if necessary)
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Sabrina Carpenter – joined Coldplay onstage at a music fest in Britain over the weekend. The group brought her out for a performance of their song ‘Magic’. Later, they dropped a bit of her hit ‘Espresso’ into their song ‘Fox You’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bdfnku98
• Jennifer Lopez – Talks for a $90 million Vegas residency are in jeopardy because her new album “This is Me … Now” and upcoming tour are flopping badly, it has been reported. She had been in talks with MGM Grand for a guaranteed $1 million a show for 90 dates starting next year, a source said. Poor ticket demand has forced the cancellation of 7 shows this summer.
• Jane’s Addiction – has announced details of a co-headlining North American tour with Love And Rockets. Last week, Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins played their first gig together in 14 years, in London. They’ll hit 23 North American cities, starting Aug. 9 in Las Vegas.
• Madonna – An extreme fan with 18 tattoos of the singer broke the Guinness World Record for the female with the most body art of the same musician. Tara Berry of Topeka KS beat the previous record holder, Nikki Patterson of Scotland, who has 15 tattoos of Eminem. Berry began her Madonna tattoo collection in 2016 when the pop star was looking for inked fans to star in a music video. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/429ttd7x
• Sarah McLachlan and Tom Cochrane – are among those who have been announced as 2024 inductees to The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. They, along with Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo and Diane Tell will be honored at a ceremony on September 28 at Toronto’s Massey Hall. LINK: www.cshf.ca
• Kelsea Ballerini – not only does she have a new album coming, she is hinting she is hinting at a new, surprise project. In a recent interview, she teased that she’s looking for something that will “challenge” and “sharpen” her, “And so I have another announcement really soon.”
• Morgan Wallen – designed a fan’s tattoo…mid-show. A TikTok video shows a fan holding a sign reading: “Morgan, can you draw my first tattoo?” Wallen took her sign, and carefully drew a tattoo design reading: “Love ya. So does God -MW.” When he handed the sign back, the fan started crying happy tears. The clip has been viewed more than 1.5 million times. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3ytm4bn5
• ERNEST – has announced his fall headlining tour, “The Legalize Country Music Road Show”. It begins in Vancouver BC on Sept. 4, and run through October 17 in Knoxville TN. In April, he released his sophomore album “Nashville, Tennessee.
SHOOTING THE BULL
BACHELOR-DUMB:
If it’s your romantic fantasy is to meet the partner of your dreams on a reality match-making show, and live happily ever after – you’d better think again. New York Times reports that of the 40 couples joined by a final rose on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” shows, only 8 are still together. That’s a paltry 20% success rate. And while “The Golden Bachelor” was supposed to bring new interest to the premise, the winning couple’s resulting marriage lasted . . . just 100 days. Forbes wrote that that ratings have been spiraling, probably because the promise of true love seems more and more like a sham. With the exception of Season 23 in 2019, viewership has gone down steadily each year since 2017, with a small rebound last season. Why the dismal success rate? One expert says it is partly because one of the pair is forced to upend their home and career and move to be with their future spouse. And former bachelorette Tayshia Adams points out that once filming wraps, the engaged couple isn’t permitted to be seen together until the finale airs, and a separation like that “is not normal” for a newly-linked couple.
(…and everything that’s happened over the previous 6 weeks or whatever IS a completely normal way of carrying out a courtship?)
(If you think 8 out of 40 is bad, I’d invite you to think back to the show “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels”. That is all!)
-Newser
MOUTH-TASER:
Japanese beverage company Kirin has unveiled its “Electric Salt Spoon.” Its what? The Electric Salt Spoon is an offshoot of a type of chopsticks it came up with a few years ago, which uses a small, imperceptible electric charge into the mouth, causing the diner perceive the food as salted, when in fact it is not. The electric charge aligns and concentrates sodium molecules to amplify their taste by 1.5, thereby helping alleviate the public health crisis of sodium over-consumption in Japan. Well, now comes the Electric Salt Spoon, with the aim of doing the same thing for those of us who don’t use chopsticks. So far, Kiran has only made 200 of the heart-saving implements available, but a much-larger release is planned. Experts say the spoon is a potential life-saver — and at the very least will add flavor to the palates of those who are relegated to a low-sodium diet.
(Just don’t take it with a pinch of salt!)
(I told my Dad about this. He said: “It amplifies the salt taste by just 1.5? Get me 4 of them!”)
-Food&Wine
NEGATIVE REACTIONS:
What’s bugging you most these days? Taxes? Someone’s else’s driving skills? Your boss? Your kids? The fact that punctuation seems optional lately? (Sorry, that last one’s mine!) Anyway, according to a new survey, there’s something that is currently bothering people even more than annoying politicians – and that is the cost of food and essentials. A survey of adults in the US by Talker Research asked respondents to pick from a list of common nuisances that irritated them the most over the past 90 days. The #1 response turned out to be the cost of living, which was chosen by almost half of participants. 41% admitted they are exasperated by the current political scene. Other common bugaboos included:
• Crowds (23%)
• Weather (21%)
• Tipping culture (16%)
• The TV being too loud (15%)
• Artificial Intelligence, the cost of concert tickets, and Reality TV (all 14%)
• Self-checkouts (13%)
• Tech billionaires (12%)
• Parking (10%)
But before I end this and leave you with the impression that there’s nothing positive in the world these days, 26% agreed that they have become “somewhat” more positive as time goes by. So there, then.
(Reality check: If you’re in a position to complain about the price of concert tickets, you’ve got no business complaining about the price of groceries!)
(We’ve heard from [***local weather personality***], and he told me he’s “shocked and disappointed” about the poor showing of ‘weather’. And he promises to do his best to make sure weather finishes at the top in any future surveys!)
-StudyFinds
THE BEST TV GAME SHOW HOSTS:
I’ll take the best TV game show hosts for $500, according to a consultation with 10 “expert” websites…
1. Bob Barker on “The Price is Right”: The gold standard. He hosted from 1972-2007, and won 14 Emmy Awards along the way.
2. Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy”: Hosted the show from its 1984 revival until his death in 2020. He received the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host 7 times for his work on Jeopardy!
3. Richard Dawson on “Family Feud”: Besides being known as the original host of the show, he was also known as ‘The Kissing Bandit’ for always kissing female contestants for ‘good luck.’ That wouldn’t be politically correct in 2024, but it served him well from 1976-85 and 1994-95.
4. Gene Rayburn on “The Match Game”: He hosted various editions of the popular game show for over 2 decades. From his trademark skinny microphone to the way he said the word “blank” out of the side of his mouth, Rayburn is considered game show royalty.
5. Pat Sajak on “Wheel of Fortune”: With his genuine and natural personality, Sajak helped make ‘Wheel of Fortune’ the longest-running American game show ever, hosting the show since 1981…although co-host Vanna White certainly hasn’t hurt. In 2023, he announced he would retire following the conclusion of the show’s current 41st season.
(Who is YOUR ‘Best TV Game Show Host’ ever?)
-StudyFinds
DID YOU KNOW?
A robot in Japan has set a new world record for speed-solving a Rubik’s Cube. Guinness recognized a time of 0.305 seconds for the Mitsubishi Electric machine, breaking the previous record by 0.075 seconds. The robot’s time was more than 10 times faster than the best-ever human, set last year at a Rubik’s Cube event in California, when Max Park took just 3.13 seconds to solve the rotating puzzle cube. The time of 0.305 seconds achieved by the robot is roughly the same amount of time that it takes for a human to blink. LINK (Don’t blink!): https://youtu.be/59qgzzSD1tk
-Independent
BS CHRONOMETER 05.30.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Mint Julep Day”, celebrating the delicious and refreshing Summer cocktail made with bourbon whiskey, mint, water, and sugar. (Sounds best if you order one using a Southern accent!)
• “Water a Flower Day”, because nourishing a little bit of natural beauty is good for more than just the flower – it’s good for your soul. Why not go crazy today…and water TWO? (No, Rover! Stop!)
• “Loomis Day”. Mahlon Loomis was a dentist, the inventor of artificial teeth, and one of the earliest inventors of wireless communication [in 1872]. (Thanks to him, your mother can text you about what she’s having for dinner!)
• “World MS Day”. It’s about the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation’s annual campaign to raise awareness of the condition, and to support and connect the 2.3 million people living with it. LINK: https://worldmsday.org/
• “National Creativity Day”. Whether you’re an artist, writer, musician, filmmaker, blogger, photographer, graphic artist, or any of 100 other creative personalities, today we celebrate you and your creative pursuit. (My creativity peaked with a macaroni necklace in kindergarten…)
• “Hole in My Bucket Day”. This wacky holiday is in honor of the fun children’s song ‘There’s a Hole in My Bucket’. (Yup. Slow day.)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] World No Tobacco Day
[Fri] Heat Awareness Day
[Sat] Say Something Nice Day
[Sun] National Bubba Day
This Month is…Prom Graduation Safety Month
This Month is…Photography Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1955 [69] (Nicky) “Topper” Headon, Bromley England, punk rock drummer (The Clash-‘London Calling’, ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’) Rock Hall of Fame (with The Clash), 2003
1958 [66] Ted McGinley, Newport Beach CA, TV actor (‘Jefferson D’Arcy’ on “Married… with Children” 1989-97, “Dynasty” “The Baxters” since 2024)/movie actor (“Revenge of the Nerds”)
1964 [60] Wynonna Judd (Christina Ciminella), Ashland KY, country singer (‘No One Else on Earth’, The Judds-‘Love Can Build a Bridge’)/half-sister of Ashley Judd, daughter of the late Naomi Judd
1964 [60] Tom Morello (“The Nightwatchman”), Harlem NY, rock guitarist (Rage Against the Machine-‘Killing in the Name’, Audioslave-‘Like a Stone’, touring member of Springsteen’s E Street Band 2008-15)
1971 [53] Idina Menzel, Syosset NY, Broadway actress (“Rent”, “Wicked”)/movie actress (‘Queen Elsa’ in “Frozen”)/TV actress (“Glee” 2010-13)/pop singer (‘Let It Go’) COMING UP…“Frozen III”, 2026
1971 [53] John Ross Bowie, New York City, TV actor (‘Barry Kripke’ on “The Big Bang Theory” 2009-19, ‘Jimmy’ on “Speechless” 2016-19)
1975 [49] Cee-Lo Green (Thomas Callaway), Atlanta GA, rapper-pop singer-songwriter-producer (‘Forget You’, Gnarls Barkley-‘Crazy’)/TV personality (“The Voice” 2011-13)
1999 [25] Sean Giambrone, St. Joseph MI, TV actor (‘Adam Goldberg’ on “The Goldbergs” 2013-2023)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2008 [16] “Sex & The City: The Movie” opens in theaters
2014 [10] “Maleficent”, starring Angelina Jolie as the villainess from “Sleeping Beauty”, debuts in movie theaters
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2000 [24] Eminem’s second major-label release, “The Marshall Mathers LP”, becomes the fastest-selling rap album ever, unloading 1.76 million copies in its first week
2015 [09] Enrique Iglesias slices his fingers open while trying to grab a drone camera taking pictures of the audience during his concert in Tijuana, Mexico
TODAY’S FIRSTS . . .
1911 [113] The first “Indianapolis 500″ auto race is held (Ray Harroun wins, averaging 75 mph [120kph])
2020 [04] SpaceX becomes the first private company to launch astronauts into space, as the Falcon 9 rocket carries the Dragon capsule from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1979 [45] Ted Coombs begins a 5,193-mile (8,357km) roller-skate from LA to NYC (exceeded in 1986)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ A 2013 study showed that the average kid asks 300 questions per day. Girls aged 4? About 390.
✓ Dolphins recognize and admire themselves in mirrors.
✓ It snows metal on Venus.
✓ Dead skin cells are a main ingredient in household dust.
✓ Potato chips are flammable, and make good kindling. Especially those powdered with seasoning.
✓ Lemons float, but limes sink.
-ReadersDigest, FactSlides
Best of BS . . .
BS BAD DESCRIPTORS FOR WINE:
• Notes of cardboard, plastic and divorce court.
• The fruity undertones of a juice box found shoved between the seats of a ‘95 Dodge Caravan.
• Grape juice with a hint of feet.
• Has a gritty, sandy finish.
• Presents a pretentious and patrician feel, and attracts a gallimaufry of vague and abstract words that you won’t understand without a dictionary.
• Hints of leather, tobacco, lavender, pencil shavings and petroleum. But never of grape.
• Pairs nicely with pasture grass and repeatedly headbutting a wooden fence post.
• Like Sunny D, but with a kick.
• Tastes like a wrung-out bar rag.
• Jesus would have turned this crap back into water.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2022
BS CELEBRITY PRODUCTS:
• Britney’s Pickle Spears
• Benedict’s Cumberbunds
• J-wow’s Shamwows
• Bra-rack Obama
• Prince Albert in a Can
• Liam Nissan
• Channing Tatum Tots
• Reese Witherspoon’s Pieces
• Johnny Deppity-Doo
• Oprah Winery
• Bjork & Beans
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
BS WEB GOODIE:
Handy cat: https://tinyurl.com/mr36hycd
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I often wonder what people have against the horse I rode in on…
BS PHONE STARTER:
What famous person are you a little too obsessed with?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Even though this is considered risky, 75% of us will do it this month. What is it?
Answer: Put a cotton swab in your ear
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
