Thursday, November 23, 2023 – Edition: #7603
Sheet Happens!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Jim Carrey is NOT planning on returning to Whoville anytime soon, contrary to recent online rumors. The reports claim a sequel to “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is in the works with Carrey attached to return, but his rep has gone on record as saying: “There is no truth to Jim reprising his role as the Grinch in a sequel to The Grinch”. Carrey starred in the live-action 2000 adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s 1957 book, released by Universal Pictures. Universal has not responded to a request for comment.
-People
★ “Scream” fans are outraged after Spyglass Media’s decision to part ways with its 2-time franchise star Melissa Barrera, following social media posts supporting Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas War. In the posts, the actress compared Israel’s treatment of Gaza to a “concentration camp.” Some fans were so upset by the studio’s decision to oust Barrera after playing ‘Sam Carpenter’ in the 5th and 6th movies that they vowed to boycott “Scream 7.” Barrera, who is Mexican, said in an Instagram story she knows what it’s like being from “a colonized country” and she strongly disapproves of Israel’s military tactics. In a statement, Spyglass said: “We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
-TheWrap
★ Susan Sarandon has been dropped by United Talent Agency after making a speech at a pro-Palestine rally, saying that Jewish people in the US are “getting a taste of what it feels to be a Muslim in this country.” Sources say several staffers at UTA were extremely hurt by Sarandon’s comments. She has attended and spoken at several pro-Palestinian rallies in New York since the Israel-Hamas war broke out last month.
-PageSix, Messenger
★ Two worlds will collide in the next “Karate Kid” movie, which will star both Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan and is set for release Dec. 13, 2024. Sony has dropped a YouTube video announcing a global casting search for the next would-be Karate Kid. Jonathan Entwistle will direct the new film, which will be both a sequel to the original 80s theatrical series and the blockbuster 2010 remake. Macchio will reprise his role as ‘Daniel LaRusso’, whom he played in the original film trilogy and brought back on Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” series. Chan will return to the role of ‘Mr. Han’, a kung fu master based on ‘Mr. Miyagi’, which he played 2010 remake. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mr4b8fpt
-TheWrap, Variety
★ Adam Sandler has revealed that his iconic ‘Chanukah Song’ was supposed to have been sung by Roseanne Barr. He introduced The Chanukah Song in 1994 during the “Weekend Update” segment on “Saturday Night Live.” Although he wrote the holiday tune himself, Sandler revealed in an interview with Access Hollywood that Roseanne Barr — who was hosting that week — almost performed the song on the late-night show. Quote: “She was nice enough to say ‘no, let Adam do that, that’s his, he wrote it, that’s his song.’”
-Variety
★ Salma Hayek says her family always celebrate a “fake” Christmas to balance her and her husband’s cultures. She told Entertainment Tonight: “We have to fake one of the days because we have Christmas, Mexican style, with my family, and then we have French style with (husband Francois-Henri-Pinault’s) family.” She is the producer of the new festive film “El Sabor de la Navidad” – which translates to “The Flavor of Christmas” — which features 3 separate stories of families and friends trying to balance tradition and progression along with the idea of acceptance, as they try to honor a love for Mexican food.
-Bang!
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): Paul Dano, Nick Offerman and Seth Rogen, 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne (R)
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Cher, Mike Birbiglia, Offset
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): TBA
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): The Meyers Family, Bryan Carter
• “The Daily Show (COM): News Team Takeover
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner; John Grisham (R)
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Kate McKinnon, Hayley Atwell, Lauren Daigle (R)
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Pilar Valdes, Danny Seo
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Carrie Ann Inaba, Biko’s Manna
• “97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (NBC): Cher headlines the annual tradition (well, actually Santa does…). Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker host. Appearances by Brandy, Chicago, En Vogue, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Jessie James Decker, Pentatonix and more.
• “Catch Me If You Claus (HALL): Premiere. Avery Quinn’s shot at anchoring news clashes with a Santa-suited intruder, Chris, who insists he’s Santa’s son on a first Christmas mission.
• “NFL Football” (Check local listings): Green Bay @ Detroit; Washington @ Dallas; San Francisco @ Seattle
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• A$AP Rocky — An LA judge has ruled that the rapper (real name: Rakim Mayers) must stand trial on charges that he fired shots at a friend during a 2021 incident in Hollywood. Rocky—who shares 2 kids with Rihanna—has pled not guilty to 2 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
• BTS – has announced their forthcoming documentary series “BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star”. The show will air on Disney+ in 8 parts looking at their 10-year career. It premieres on Dec. 10. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3de324zz
• Mariah Carey – As you might expect, her ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ has jingled back onto the Billboard Hot 100, just in time for the holiday season. The song, released in 1994, is at #17 on the Nov. 25 chart. It has spent a total of 12 weeks at #1, spread over the Christmas seasons of 2019-22.
• Rolling Stones – Their upcoming 2024 tour is sponsored by – AARP…seriously. A note on the organization (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons)’s website says: “AARP is sponsoring Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds, and members can get early access to tickets.” Tickets go on sale Dec. 1, but AARP members can take part in a presale beginning Nov. 29.
• Billy Idol – This Saturday, the Veeps platform is hosting the streaming event “Billy Idol: State Line”, capturing Idol’s explosive performance at the Hoover Dam in April. The show at a unique setting also featured guest appearances by Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Tony Kanal (No Doubt) and Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather). Just 250 fans were allowed to attend. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5bk7fz74
• U2 – bassist Adam Clayton says the band’s next album will definitely rock. He told Mojo: “We are turning the amps on. I certainly think the rock that we all grew up with as 16 and 17-year-olds, that rawness of those Patti Smith, Iggy Pop records… that kind of power is something we would love to connect back into.” He also has a suggestion for the record’s title: “Songs For Fighting”.
• Mickey Guyton – will host the National Christmas Tree Lighting, Friday, Dec. 15 on CBS and Paramount+. She’ll also perform at the event. Additional performers include Darren Criss, Samara Joy, Ledisi, Reneé Rapp, St. Vincent, Joe Walsh and Dionne Warwick.
• Tim McGraw – Monday, he surprise-released the 6-song EP “Poet’s Resumé.” He also dropped a video for the first song on the release, ‘Runnin’ Outta Love. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2khm3eyk
• Blake Shelton – faced off against his wife Gwen Stefani on his hit competition show “Barmageddon” on Monday. You can watch the episode on Google Play. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ybaxsfvb
SHOOTING THE BULL
THINK FAST:
It just doesn’t seem right talking about this on a day that’s about FEASTING in the US, but according to a study, FASTING can not only improve your sleep – it can improve your mood. Intermittent fasting, defined as restricting one’s food consumption to a set window of time, has emerged as a popular weight loss method in recent years. A 10-hour window, for example, means limiting your daily eating schedule to 10 hours — then fasting for the remaining 14 hours of the day. So, if you eat your first bite at 9AM, you would eat your last bite by 7pm. And when scientists at King’s College London asked people to do just that, they discovered a link to both higher energy and mood and (get this…) lower hunger levels, in addition to better sleep quality. The researchers said that their study “adds to the growing body of evidence showing…the health impact of food is not just what you eat, but the time at which you choose to consume your meals.”
(Believe me, there’s nothing FAST about going 14 hours without eating!)
(Yeah, fasting improves your mood – especially at the end when you pig out on 2 Big Macs and an entire cheesecake!)
-StudyFinds
IN CASE YOU CARE-AOKE:
YouTube Music has a new feature that uses AI to let users generate music in the style of pop stars like Sia, Demi Lovato, and T-Pain – with the permission of the artists. The tool, called “Dream Track”, produces unique backing tracks for creators on the YouTube shorts platform (which is similar to TikTok). The feature can auto-generate 30-second audio clips based your instruction, such as: “a ballad about how opposites attract, upbeat acoustic.” Nine artists signed on to have their vocal and instrumental likenesses cloned: Alec Benjamin, Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Papoose, Sia, T-Pain, and Troye Sivan. There is another YouTube tool called “Music AI”, which can turn a hummed tune into a guitar riff, or convert a song to a different genre.
(…but it still can’t do anything to make me sound like I can carry a tune!)
(It is even worth it to explain to kids today how we used to have to assemble all our friends, get all dressed up, and take the bus to a bar downtown, then spend $80 on umbrella drinks, all just so we could make a fool of ourselves singing in front of total strangers?)
-EmergingTech
ANNOYING THINGS PARENTS DO:
A recent survey asked about the annoying things that parents do. Actually, it was probably more concerned with the irritating things that NEW parents do. And 69% of people agreed: It’s annoying when parents use “baby talk” to speak to their children. You might not really want to hear ‘em, but here are some examples of what they mean…
• “Cuddles,” “dolly,” and “night-night” are America’s favorite baby talk words.
• “Night-night,” “tummy,” and “binky” are the top baby talk words people hear young parents say.
• “Boo boo,” “tummy,” and “wuv” are the top baby talk words people use with a romantic partner.
• Nearly half of pet parents admit they use baby talk with their pets.
Other annoying things that parents do: 70% said it’s when parents keep bringing the conversation back to their kids. And 72% are sick of hearing about kids’ bodily functions. The top phrases that non-parents find annoying were found to be: “You’re not a parent, so you wouldn’t understand,” which 68% identified as a sentence they don’t want to hear, followed by, “You think you’re tired now, just wait until you have kids!” (51%).
(What about “I’m sooooo tired….!”?)
(When is someone going to ask me about the annoying things MY parents do? Because I’ve got a list…!)
-HuffPost
NAME THAT PET:
Online marketplace Rover has released its annual list of the most popular pet names. Here are the top-5 male and female names for both dogs and cats for 2023 (in the US) . . .
Male Dogs: Female Dogs:
1. Charlie 1. Luna
2. Max (after 10 years at #1) 2. Bella
3. Cooper 3. Daisy
4. Milo 4. Lucy
5. Buddy 5. Lily
Male Cats: Female Cats:
1. Oliver 1. Luna
2. Milo 2. Bella
3. Leo 3. Lily
4. Charlie 4. Lucy
5. Loki 5. Nala
Trending names for dogs included Kelce, Wednesday, Oak, and Lainey. Trending names for cats were Norbert, Soju, Snoop, and Choco. (Why even name a cat? It’s not like they come when they’re called!)
-UPI
DID YOU KNOW?
Here’s a “meat alternative” for you: The Philly Pretzel Factory in Philadelphia has created a soft pretzel version of a Thanksgiving turkey, and they can’t make them fast enough. Using a pound-and-a-half of dough, the traditional Thanksgiving bird has been replicated in the finest detail. Operators Brian and Sean Kean made up over 100 of the cooked/bald/dead pretzel turkeys – and continued to fill orders right up until today. The turkeys are hollowed out, and can be served as an appetizer, alongside some dip. They also make a great centerpiece. The Philly Pretzel folks have also come up with an Eagles logo pretzel, as well as custom pretzels for Valentine’s Day and St. Patty’s Day — and Philadelphia being Philadelphia — a salty Ben Franklin. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3ef89kjk
-TMZ
BS CHRONOMETER 11.23.23
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Thanksgiving Day” in the US, an annual feasting tradition proclaimed for all states in 1863 and made a national holiday set on the 4th Thursday of November in 1879. The event that Americans commonly call the ‘First Thanksgiving’ was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. (No ‘Black Friday’ that year!) A few facts …
– The original Thanksgiving festivities date back 2,000 years to Celtic priests, the Druids, who celebrated a harvest festival.
– Canadian Thanksgiving was originally celebrated at the same time as in the US, but was eventually moved to the 2nd Monday of October to reflect the earlier harvest season.
– The term ‘turkey’ was used by New England pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl. It could have been seagull. (Yum!)
• “Eat a Cranberry Day”, native to North America, cranberries are grown in bogs, primarily in New England. When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, they found Native Americans harvesting and eating them. They were also used as dyes for clothing, and for medicinal purposes.
• “Cashew Day”, celebrating the yummy nut that sounds like a sneeze. (ca-SHEEEWW!)
• “Espresso Day”, a good excuse to have a wake-me-up shot this morning. Luigi Bezzera invented the espresso coffee machine in Italy in 1901. His objective was to decrease his employees’ coffee break time and increase their productivity. The small cup in which an espresso is served is called a demitasse.
• “Dr. Who Day”, the 60th anniversary of “An Unearthly Child,” the debut episode of Doctor Who, and the origin point of an ever-expanding universe. Originally airing on the BBC, William Hartnell’s character hopped in his TARDIS and embarked on an adventure that has enamored millions of fans. Happy birthday, Doctor. (***See “Today’s Record”, below***)
• “Fibonacci Day”, November 23 — or 11/23 — is Fibonacci Day because the first series of numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 1, 1, 2, and 3. The sequence is created by adding the previous 2 numbers to get the third number, so it begins as follows: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, and 144.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Leftovers Day
[Fri] Fur Free Friday
[Sat] Eat With a Friend Day
[Sun] Secondhand Sunday
This Week is…International Restorative Justice Week
This Month is…Inspirational Role Models Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1954 [69] Bruce Hornsby, Williamsburg VA, pop-rock-jazz keyboardist/singer (‘The Way It Is’, Mandolin Rain’)/former Grateful Dead touring member
1959 [64] Maxwell Caulfield, Belper England, movie actor (“Grease 2”, “Empire Records”)/TV actor (“Emmerdale” 2009-10, “The Colbys” 1985-87, “Pam & Tommy”, 2022)
1960 [63] Robin Roberts, Tuskegee AL, TV host (“Good Morning America” since 2005, “SportsCenter” 1990-2005)
1971 [52] Lesley Fera, Los Angeles CA, TV actress (“Pretty Little Liars” 2010-2017, “24” 2009-10)
1971 [52] Chris Hardwick, Louisville KY, comedian (“@Midnight” 2013-17), TV host (“Talking Dead” since 2011)
1987 [36] Snooki (Nicole Polizzi), Santiago Chile, reality TV star (“Jersey Shore” 2009-2012, “Snooki & JWOWW” 2012-2015, “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” since 2018)/TV host (“Messyness” since 2021)
1992 [31] Miley Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus), Nashville TN, pop singer (‘Wrecking Ball’, ‘The Climb’)/TV actress (“Hannah Montana” 2006-10)/daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2012 [11] Larry Hagman, star of “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Dallas”, dies at age 81
2011 [12] Lady Gaga’s 90 minute “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving” special airs on ABC. She directed the show, which features her singing, eating, visiting her old school, and being interviewed by Katie Couric
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1979 [44] Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” is released. It sells 6 million copies in 2 weeks
2013 [10] One Direction hosts “1D Day”, a 7½ hour interactive live-stream on YouTube and Google+ Hangout that includes live performances and celeb guests (an unprecedented use of social media)
2018 [05] Justin Bieber confirms he has married model Hailey Baldwin
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2013 [10] A special episode of “Doctor Who” titled ‘The Day of the Doctor’ airs in 94 countries to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary (Guinness Record for the largest-ever simulcast of a TV drama, and the first episode to feature the 12th “Doctor”, Peter Capaldi)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The tongue of a blue whale can weigh as much as an elephant.
✓ It takes an average of 2 months to climb Mount Everest.
✓ The world seems quieter right after a snowfall because the blanket of fresh powder absorbs sound, making things seem “calmer.
✓ Coconut shells can absorb more impact than most crash helmets.
✓ The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona, but the Spanish city thought it was too ugly.
✓ There’s an ant species unique to New York City, called ManhattAnts.
-BathroomReadersInstitute, Cosmo
Best of BS . . .
BS SIGNS YOUR CAT MAY BE TRYING TO KILL YOU:
• You wake up to find a bird’s head in your bed.
• Seems mighty chummy with the dog all of a sudden.
• Actually DOES have your tongue.
• Droppings in litter box spell out “REDRUM.”
• You catch him with a new mohawk, looking in the mirror, saying, “Mew looking at me? Mew looking at me?”
• Takes attentive notes every time “Itchy and Scratchy” are on.
• Has taken a sudden interest in the wood chipper.
• Instead of dead birds, leaves cartons of Marlboros on your doorstep.
• Ball of yarn playfully tied into a hangman’s noose.
• You find a piece of paper labelled “MY WIL” which says “LEEV AWL 2 KAT.”
• Lately, sharpens claws on your car’s brake lines.
-Poddy’s, first published in BS in 2011
BS HOW TO TOOK YOUR CURKEY:
Step 1. Buy a turkey.
Step 2. Have a glass of wine.
Step 3. Stuff turkey.
Step 4. Have a glass of wine.
Step 5. Put turkey in oven.
Step 6. Relax and have a glass of wine.
Step 7. Turk the bastey.
Step 8. Wine of glass another get.
Step 9. Hunt for meat thermometer.
Step 10. Glass yourself another pour of wine.
Step 11. Bake the wine for 4 hours.
Step 12. Take the oven out of the turkey.
Step 13. Floor the turkey off the pick.
Step 14. Tet the sable.
Step 15. Grab another wottle of bine.
Step 16. Turk the carvey!
Step 17. Say grace, throw-up and pass out.
-FlashFunPages, first published in BS in 2017
BS WEB GOODIE:
Travel time: https://tinyurl.com/3bw9nm3v
BS RANDOM JOKES:
• Why is it that I’ve been shopping for over 25 years now, and I still have nothing to wear?
• I suppose I’ll die never knowing what pumpkin pie tastes like when you have room for it.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s the most annoying thing about grocery shopping?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTIONS:
• Question: A study found that about 70% of us do THIS when we go to the doctor. What is it?
Answer: Lie about our exercise and diet (Don’t worry – he/she doesn’t believe you anyway!)
• Question: 17% of people will celebrate THIS for the first time this year. What is it?
Answer: Friendsgiving
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.