Tuesday, November 16, 2021 – Edition: #7108
Good Morning, Sheetheads!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ At just 7 years old, Ji-Young is making history as the first Asian American muppet in the “Sesame Street” canon. She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electric guitar and skateboarding. Ji-Young will formally be introduced in “See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.” Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Osaka are among the celebrities appearing in the special, which will drop on US Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) on HBO Max, “Sesame Street” social media platforms and on local PBS stations.
-CTV
★ Dave Chappelle’s upcoming appearance at his former high school has been postponed due to administrators’ fears that students will protest Chappelle’s controversial comments about trans people. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC, which Chappelle himself attended, has postponed the Nov. 23 event, which was intended to serve as a fundraiser for a new theater bearing Chappelle’s name. The school determined it would be best to delay the event until April 22.
-Yahoo
★ Shaquille O’Neal has been in a lot of TV shows and movies over the years, but the NBA legend recently revealed the time when he turned down a major movie role that could have changed his career forever. He told the New York Post that he said “no” to the role of ‘John Coffey’ in “The Green Mile” that eventually went to Michael Clarke Duncan. Why? Shaq says he “didn’t want to play the down-South African American guy during slavery.” He went on to say that Duncan did “an excellent job” alongside Tom Hanks in the 1999 film, “way better” than he could have done.
-PopCulture
★ He faced off with Rocky Balboa onscreen and teamed up with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania…and now Mr. T is taking on the coronavirus. In a pair of tweets, he declared that he’d just received his COVID-19 booster shot. That caused some Twitter users to bring up Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s recent attacks on ‘Big Bird’ after “Sesame Street” explained the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations to children, suggesting Cruz pick a fight with Mr. T and see what happens.
-ETCanada
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Kirsten Dunst, Wilmer Valderrama, Kevin Garnett, Gracie Abrams
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Jared Leto, Vanessa Hudgens, Tom Morello featuring grandson
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Eric Adams, Dwyane Wade
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Aubrey Plaza, Peter Sarsgaard, Amor Towles, Nate Smith
• “The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS/CTV): Mindy Kaling, Yvonne Orji, Majid Jordan
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Cynthia Bailey, Kenya Moore, Kyle Richards, Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Ramona Singer, Luann De Lesseps
• “The Talk” (CBS): Deborah Norville
• “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (ABC/CTV): Jamie Dornan, Dwyane Wade, Amy Goodman
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC/CTV): Kieran Culkin, Brandon Maxwell, Tig Notaro, Wale
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Deon Cole, Cody Rigsby, Bobby Berk
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Jeff Goldblum, Madelaine Petsch
• “The Voice” (NBC): Live Top 13 Eliminations
• “The Flash” (CW): Season 8 premiere
• “Riverdale” (CW): Season 6 premiere
• “Simple as Water” (HBO): Portraits of Syrian families displaced and fractured by war create a meditation on parental love that is both urgent and timeless.
• “The Big Holiday Food Fight” (OWN): Series premiere. The home cooks are out to prove their families’ roots are the cream of the crop; it’s a battle of the spices as a Jamaican cook seeks the advantage over his competitors’ southern Creole flavors.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Taylor Swift – We might as well call it “Taylor’s Month.” She captivated fans and social media with the re-release of her 2012 album “Red”, released the short film of her hit ‘All Too Well’, promoted her work on 2 late-night shows, appeared as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” (for the 5th time), and yesterday, she released the video for ‘I Bet You Think About Me’, directed by Blake Lively. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/e9me3r5c
• Lil Nas X – will appear on the classically raunchy “Maury Povich Show” tomorrow. According to the daytime talk show’s socials, he’ll confront his ex over a supposed secret wife and child. A trailer for the “exclusive” episode shows his real-life ex-boyfriend Yai Ariza getting the third degree. Of course, the entire setup is likely a massive exercise in trolling…but a genius marketing move. LINK: https://youtu.be/DstSZiljTXg
• Rolling Stones – Their 2021 “No Filter” US tour grossed $10.1 million per show, putting them at the top of the Pollstar highest-earning touring chart. They sold an average of 43,000 tickets over 7 shows. No other artist in the top 10 came close, with Eric Church in 2nd place, pulling an average of $1.6 million.
• (***Caution: ‘Badass’***) Chrissie Hynde — In her new documentary “Tomorrow Is a Long Time: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan”, she confesses that her badass image is “all smoke and mirrors” and she’s not comfortable being considered a “post-modern feminist” icon. She also says she hasn’t reached out to Bob Dylan to get his reaction to the project. The doc premieres on AXS TV Dec. 1.
• Moody Blues – Co-founder Graeme Edge died on Thursday at age 80. His drumming and spoken word poetry were instrumental to the band’s biggest hits in their “classic” ’60s and ’70s era, including ‘Nights in White Satin’, ‘Tuesday Afternoon’, and ‘I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)’.
• Jason Aldean – Friday, he dropped the first part of his 10th studio album “Macon”. Featuring the recent #1 ‘If I Didn’t Love You’ with Carrie Underwood, it includes 9 new and 5 live songs. The full album of 30 songs drops April 22.
• Chris Stapleton – Not only is he featured on a bonus track on Adele’s “30” album, and joins Kelly Clarkson for ‘Glow’ on her new holiday album “When Christmas Comes Around”, he is also sings with Taylor Swift on her new release. ‘I Bet You Think About Me’, is a “From the Vault” song on “Red (Taylor’s Version)”, which came out on Friday.
• Vince Gill – says he turned down an offer to join rock band Dire Straits during his early years of struggle in Nashville. He says he admired the group, but said no because it would be “like throwing in the towel” on his dream of becoming “a country artist of some validity”.
SHOOTING THE BULL
FRYING HIGH:
Fast-Food restaurant Arby’s has announced plans to release a French-fry flavored . . . vodka! That’s right, the chain that advertises with the catchphrase, “We have the meats” will also have the booze. According to Arby’s website, it has two flavors of fry-themed vodka, Crinkle and Curly, going on sale this Thursday. And as odd as it sounds at first, you’ve got to remember that both fries and vodka are made from potatoes. Arby’s claims both vodkas taste just like their namesake fries. The Crinkle Fry Vodka is described as “a subtle tribute to its namesake, made with real kosher salt and sugar to honor the rich tradition of salted potato shapes.” The Curly Fry Vodka is “distilled with cayenne, paprika, onion and garlic, and preserves the distinguished and authentic flavor profile of the traditional Arby’s Curly Fry,” according to a press release. Each bottle costs US $60 and will be available to purchase online. LINK: https://arbysvodka.com/
(So…a bit of a dilemma here – do you put ketchup in that stuff, or not?)
(And today is “Fast Food Day” – Cheers!)
-People, Snopes
EXERCISES IN SALUBRITY (look it up):
➢ Both low and high-intensity exercise can significantly alleviate anxiety, according to a new study in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The research followed 286 people with anxiety syndrome as they participated in regular workouts over a 12-week period, and found that while more strenuous activity produced greater reductions in symptoms, even gentle exercise generated a notable improvement in long-term sufferers. (Of course, both groups of exercisers experienced the most anxiety when they realized someone was watching them work out!)
➢ Researchers from King’s College London say getting up and moving around for just 5 minutes every hour can help people shake off the effects of their pandemic inactivity. They determined that as a result of lockdowns and social distancing, people spent an average of 25 minutes less each day on low activity tasks and moved less often (11% less per hour) during the day. Based on their research, the scientists suggest people move their bodies for 5 minutes each hour during the day, plus spend 30 minutes per day doing some extra light activity, like yoga. (***Caution – ‘ASS’***) Just for the record, doing yoga is most definitely NOT considered a light activity when it involves dragging MY fat ass around a mat!)
-IFLScience, StudyFinds
FILTERING THE RESULTS:
From the “Coffee — Is there anything it can’t do?” file, researchers say drinking coffee can lead to mood improvement as daylight hours decrease during fall. A survey for the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee found that more than a quarter of adults experience depression and increased feelings of sadness as it gets closer to winter. The poll of more than 5,000 people found that 29% of people drink coffee during fall to feel more energized and 21% say coffee helps with concentration. While a good diet and regular exercise are known to help improve mood, an examination of existing research suggests that 75 mg of caffeine (2 cups) every 4 hours can result in a pattern of sustained improvement of mood. Plus, coffee aroma may enhance working memory and stimulate alertness. People also reported using caffeine for social aspects, as well as increasing physical energy.
(I don’t drink coffee to make myself happy…but I know I’m happy to drink coffee!)
(I’ve got news for these “scientists”: Coffee makes me happy whether daylight hours are decreasing or not!)
(Two cups every 4 hours? I drink 2 cups of instant while I’m waiting for the coffee to brew!)
-Fox
PRODUCTS WITH THE HIGHEST MARKUPS:
⇒ Bottled water: 4,000%
⇒ Movie theater popcorn: 1,275%
⇒ Fountain soda pop: 1,150%
⇒ Mattresses: 900%
⇒ Eyeglass frames: 250-1,000%
⇒ Meat-loaded pizza: 686%
⇒ Designer jeans: 500%
⇒ Caskets: 300-500%
⇒ Coffee on the go: 300%
⇒ Printer ink: 300%
Some others which may be strongly be influenced by country: prescription drugs: 200-3,000%; Restaurant beer: 694%; Cheese (added to a menu item): 500%; Restaurant cocktails: 500-800%
-DailyInfographic
DID YOU KNOW?
(***Caution: Maybe wait until the kids are in school to use this!***) Even the North Pole isn’t immune to the labor shortage. Those in the Santa Claus industry say the pandemic has caused a 10-15% drop in available Santas. The Professional Santa Claus School in Denver reports that because many in the Santa workforce are elderly and have underlying health conditions that put them at risk, they’ve lost a notable number of eligible workers. With a growing number of companies and retailers ready to get back to traditional holiday celebrations this year, available Santas will be stretched thin to cover an extraordinary rise in bookings.
-CP
BS CHRONOMETER 11.16.21
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1958 [63] Marg Helgenberger, Freemont NE, TV actress (“Intelligence” 2014, “CSI” 2000-15)/movie actress (“Mr. Brooks”)
1964 [57] Diana Krall, Nanaimo BC, jazz singer-pianist (‘The Look of Love’)/married to Elvis Costello since 2003/Canada’s Walk of Fame 2004/Order of Canada 2005
1964 [57] Harry Lennix, Chicago IL, TV actor (‘Harold Cooper’ on “The Blacklist” since 2013)
1966 [55] Dave Kushner, LA CA, rock guitarist (Velvet Revolver-‘Slither’, ‘Fall to Pieces’)
1967 [54] Lisa Bonet, San Francisco CA, TV actress (“Ray Donovan” 2016, “The Cosby Show” 1984-91)/married to Jason Momoa since 2017
1977 [44] Maggie Gyllenhaal, NYC, movie actress (“The Dark Knight”, “Secretary”)/older sister of Jake Gyllenhaal
1993 [28] Pete Davidson, Staten Island NY, comedian (“Saturday Night Live” since 2014)/movie actor (“The King of Staten Island”)/ex-fiancé of Ariana Grande. COMING UP…”Good Mourning with a U”, 2022
2006 [15] Mason Ramsey, Golconda IL, country singer (also known as “The Walmart Yodeling Boy” who went viral when video of him yodeling in an Illinois Walmart was posted to YouTube)
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Fast Food Day”, a day when we’re encouraged to celebrate by going out to our favorite fast-food joint. (Like I need an excuse…) LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yh6kmeex
• “National Button Day”, celebrating buttons that are used on clothing, for ornamentation or as fasteners. Button collecting, which is most popular in the US, varies from people having buttons in a container for future use, to casual collecting, to competitive collecting.
• “International Day for Tolerance”, established by the UN in 1996 to promote the need for worldwide tolerance and understanding. (Uh, doesn’t seem to be working.)
• “Have a Party With Your Bear Day”, since this refers to “your” bear, the idea is to spend some time with your Teddy Bear and have a party with some balloons and cake. (Unless, of course, you happen to have a pet bear, then it is perfectly acceptable to sit down and have some cake with it…)
• “Check Your Wipers Day”, reminding drivers to regularly check their windshield wipers to ensure optimum visibility in the event of inclement weather. (I just got new set of windshield wipers for my 14- year-old minivan. Great trade…)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Wed] Take a Hike Day
[Wed] Baklava Day
[Thurs] Mickey Mouse Day
[Thurs] Vichyssoise Day [vee-shee-SWAHZ]
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2001 [20] The first ‘Harry Potter’ film, “Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone”, opens in an unprecedented 7,000-plus movie screens (outside the US and India, the film is titled “Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone”)
2010 [11] Prince William & Kate Middleton announce their engagement (they wed April 29, 2011)
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2006 [15] “Queen’s Greatest Hits” is declared ‘Most Popular Album of All-Time’ in Britain, with more than 5½ million units sold (The Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper” is #2)
2010 [11] The Beatles’ back catalogue is finally made available on iTunes, after years of negotiations (Steve Jobs says it had been “a long and winding road”)
2014 [07] U2’s Bono is involved in a “high energy bicycle accident” in NYC’s Central Park and is rushed to hospital where he undergoes 5 hours of surgery (a planned week-long residency on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” is postponed)
TODAY IN TECH . . .
2012 [09] “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” grosses $500 million in 24 hours to become the biggest entertainment launch of all time
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Between 1912 and 1948, art competitions were a part of the Olympics.
✓ The song ‘Silver Bells’ was called ‘Tinkle Bells’ until co-composer Jay Livingston’s wife told him “tinkle” had another meaning.
✓ The ‘Q’ in Q-tips stands for quality.
✓ Dueling is legal in Paraguay, as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
✓ It’s a myth that no two snowflakes are exactly the same. In 1988, a scientist found 2 identical snow crystals in Wisconsin.
✓ Before settling on the Seven Dwarfs we know today, Disney also considered Chesty, Tubby, Burpy, Deafy, Hickey, Wheezy, and Awful.
-MentalFloss, RandomFactGenerator
Best Of BS . . .
BS YOU MIGHT BE A BAD DRIVER IF:
• You leave a party stone sober and the host still insists on hiding your keys and calling a cab.
• People ask you about ‘the accident’ and you reply, “Which one?”
• You replace your airbag more often than your oil.
• You’ve asked a police officer to hold your beer while you find your license.
• You swerve to miss a tree, only to find out it’s your air freshener.
• All anyone can see when you drive is your knuckles.
• Whenever you walk into traffic court, everyone greets you by name.
• Cops carry special tickets with your info already filled out.
• You’ve ever hit a car in front of you . . . while trying to back up.
-First published in BS in 2009
TODAY’S SCOOP OF BS:
➠ An 83-year-old man just completed the Appalachian Trail. (You gotta give him credit. I had no idea you could get an ’88 Buick Skylark over that kind of terrain…)
➠ Taylor Swift sang her rambling, 10-minute break-up song ‘All Too Well’ on “SNL”. (So, be sure to relay this news to your dad, the next time you want a 4-hour lecture on the downfall of Western civilization.)
➠ Scientists say talking to yourself may be good for brain function. (In other words, don’t call the cops when you hear ranting and raving coming from inside Gary Busey’s house. He might be closing in on the cure for cancer…)
➠ A US survey says the average Thanksgiving turkey will cost $20.15. Meanwhile, the average Thanksgiving gathering will have 8-10 people, and last 2-4 hours. (AND will lead to at least 2 relatives not speaking until after New Year’s.)
➠ A study showed that 20% of adults don’t go online and don’t believe the Internet is relevant to their lives. (In related news, 20% of adults are going to feel really stupid when I make a KILLING with my Farmville crops next harvest. Dummies.)
BS WEB GOODIE:
I know THAT feeling: https://tinyurl.com/u23xcbzd
BS RANDOM JOKE:
And then I thought to myself, ‘what’s the point of cleaning if my family is going to keep living here?’
BS PHONE STARTER:
Instagram before eggs? What is the first app you open in the morning?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Question: According to a survey, THIS is the #1 goal that people set for themselves on a daily basis. What Is it?
Answer: Drink more water
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.