Thursday, November 7, 2024 – Edition: #7830
Get a Load of This Sheet!
SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ Police in Argentina are continuing their investigation into Liam Payne’s death. They’ve conducted another round of raids on the homes of 2 hotel employees and a “friend” of the former One Direction singer, TMZ reports. Officers conducted the raids Tuesday night, and searched the hotel lockers of the workers and reviewed security footage from the hotel. Police believe the workers had contact with Payne before he plunged to his death from the balcony of his 3rd-floor room on October 16. Sources say investigators did not find the friend at his home during Tuesday’s raid.
-TMZ
★ We’re officially going back to the Upside Down. A new “Stranger Things” season 5 teaser arrived Wednesday, as treat for Netflix’s Stranger Things Day, which always falls on Nov. 6, the day that ‘Will Byers’ went missing. Among the big reveals in the clip: The show’s final season will premiere sometime in 2025. Some fans had feared further delays as a ripple effect from the actor and writer strikes. Second, the story will include a time jump. Season 5 will pick up in the fall of 1987, more than a year after the events of season 4. When we last saw the gang, ‘Eleven’, ‘Mike’ ‘Will’ and others were standing in a field watching as portals from the Upside Down burst open, bringing hellish horrors into the real world. The titles for all 8 episodes were also revealed. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yx5w3d9h
-EW
★ It would seem that Martha Stewart’s criticism of Ryan Reynolds’ “very serious” off-camera persona should be taken with a grain of salt – as the 2 are almost strangers. TMZ quotes a source close to Reynolds as saying, first off, the comments should be taken with a grain of salt, as the actor has made no secret about his anxiety issues, which sometimes cause him to shut down around people. In addition, the outlet reports that Stewart doesn’t actually know Reynolds all that well, having met in person only once or twice. She made headlines after claiming on the “Rent Free” game show that Reynolds is “not so funny in real life,” and saying she’d rather hang with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
-TMZ
★ The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic has been delayed until Fall 2025. Lionsgate has announced that “Michael”, directed by Antoine Fuqua, is now slated to hit theaters in wide release on Oct. 3, 2025. That’s 6 months later than its previously planned release on April 18. Starring in the title role is Jaafar Jackson, who is the nephew of the late pop superstar, while Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo round out the cast. Lionsgate also announced an Oct. 17, 2025 release date for Aziz Ansari’s “Good Fortune”, starring Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves.
-HollywoodReporter
★ Maybe John Dutton hasn’t ridden off into the sunset just yet, after all. Though Kevin Costner has confirmed that he will not be appearing in the second half of “Yellowstone” Season 5 (premiering this Sunday), Christina Voros, who directed 4 of the 6 episodes, told Hollywood Reporter that the head of the Dutton family still casts a long shadow. Quote: “His presence is integral. I think to say any more than that,” she adds, “would potentially compromise all the work” that went into changing scripts and keeping plot twists secret. Voros said the reason so many fans ate wondering whether he appears “is because he is the patriarch, and his presence is an essential component to the story.”
-TVLine
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC/Global): John David Washington, Don Johnson, mxmtoon
• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Saoirse Ronan, Carmelo Anthony, David Gilmour
• “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Paul Bettany, Mike Birbiglia, Robert Zemeckis
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Skyler Higley, Sam Taggart, Nori Reed
• “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Barry Keoghan, Scott Speedman
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Patti LuPone, Mia Farrow
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Host Ronny Chieng
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Stephen A. Smith
• “The Talk” (CBS): Anna Camp
• “Live With Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Carrie Ann Inaba, Auli’i Cravalho
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Rita Wilson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Judy Greer and Pete Holmes, Tank and the Bangas
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Bobby Flay, Cole Hauser
• “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Drew and Jonathan Scott
• “Hell’s Kitchen” (Fox): The Yale Whiffenpoofs singing group perform; the chefs must model their expertise and work in harmony for their next challenge.
• “Matlock” (CBS): A class-action case against the prison system hits close to home for Matty when its lead plaintiff, jailed on drug charges, relapses.
• “Law & Order” (NBC): When the dean of a swanky prep school is murdered, Shaw and Riley must dig into the toxic system of pressure on the students to succeed. Followed by a new episode of “SVU”.
• “Quincy Jones: A Musical Celebration in Paris (PBS): Accompanied by a symphony orchestra, Jones brings together nearly 100 musicians and special guests to celebrate his 70-year career.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Beyoncé – has dropped a video for her song ‘Bodyguard’ – and in the Pamela Anderson-themed video she sports looks inspired by 2 of Anderson’s iconic roles. One is from the 1996 film “Barb Wire”, and the other from the TV show “Baywatch”. Beyoncé’s caption? “BEYWATCH”, of course. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yr99tmyr
• The Weeknd – will make his big-screen debut in the upcoming film “Hurry Up Tomorrow”. He’ll star in the movie, which is an extension of his forthcoming album of the same name, alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. Not many details so far, but we know it’s a musically-driven psychological thriller co-executive produced by Ortega.
• Mariah Carey – stopped by for the unveiling of her wax figure at Madam Tussauds in New York City. Carey shared pics of the holiday-themed display on social media, writing: “Finally found someone to help me out with the toy delivery this year!” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bdh4kxsj
• David Bowie – tops Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest “Saturday Night Live” musical performances over the show’s 50 seasons. Before Bowie‘s 1979 performance of ‘The Man Who Sold the World’, he was carried to the mic because he was encased in a plastic tuxedo that made it difficult for him to move.
• Robert Plant – appears in a new promotional film for Italian train operator Trenitalia. He’s seen travelling between Naples and Venice aboard the company’s Frecciarossa 1000, a 300kph beast which makes the 700km journey in just 5 hours. The film is set to Plant and Saving Grace’s ‘Everybody’s Song’, and ends with him and bandmate Suzy Dian arriving, then performing live. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y5tw8rhk
• Kelsea Ballerini – Some details about her guest role on tonight’s episode of the ABC drama “Doctor Odyssey” are revealed in a new trailer. She plays a bride-to-be who’s a passenger on the cruise ship. At one point, a man reveals a large rash on his torso, and chaos ensues, with guests panicking, and at the end of the teaser, a siren blares, and someone says “Code Alpha” over a loudspeaker. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/2n9hbcnz
• Dan + Shay, Walker Hayes, Dasha and The War And Treaty – have all joined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade lineup. This year’s parade will air live from 8:30am to noon ET on Nov. 28 on NBC. Bishop Briggs, Kylie Cantrall, Chlöe, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Idina Menzel, T-Pain and Rachel Platten are also on the performers’ bill.
• Craig Morgan — will perform on PBS’s “Salute to Service 2024: A Veteran’s Day Celebration” TV special. Morgan, who re-enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2023 after previously serving in the Army and Army Reserve for 17 years, will perform with the U.S. Army Field Band ‘Six-String Soldiers’ during the Nov. 11 event, which will be hosted by Mickey Guyton.
SHOOTING THE BULL
OLD NEW WAVE:
A song, nicknamed the “most mysterious song on the internet” has finally been identified. The New Wave track, originally recorded off the radio in Germany in the 1980s, is believed to be called ‘Subways of Your Mind’ by the band FEX. After thousands of online sleuths dedicated thousands of hours to identifying the song since 2007, a Reddit user named Marijn1412 made the breakthrough this week. A band member has seemingly confirmed the finding, telling a German newspaper that the group is confident the song is theirs — and they are already discussing a reunion to re-record it. Long story short, the mystery song first appeared when a music fan came across an old cassette of music he recorded off the radio, featuring then-new songs from 1984 by bands like XTC and the Cure, as well as this one particular song he liked — but knew little about. His sister uploaded a snippet in 2007, and eventually someone else uploaded it to YouTube, causing the search to go viral. Marijn1412, who identified the song, explained in a post that the mystery began to unravel after they found an old article about FEX while researching bands who played at an annual event called Hörfest. Marijn1412 reached out to one of the members to ask if he still had any old recordings, “and lo and behold, one of them was titled Subways of Your Mind.” LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4wsfjk55
(Did no one think to “Shazam” it?)
(OK. THAT’S solved. Now, could someone please get to work on solving for me the important matter of how to create functional tabs in Microsoft Word?)
-RollingStone
TECH TALK:
❑ There’s a new feature on newer iPhones that some users might not be aware of. The latest update, iOS 18.1, comes with the ability to record phone calls at the press of a button — and provide you with a transcript of the conversation. Apple’s call recording feature will inform the person on the other end of the line that what they’re saying is going to be recorded, which is not just fair play, it is also a legal requirement in many areas. (Gee, I hope the transcript is as accurate as those wacky subtitles that come up on my TV screen!)
❑ The consumer advocacy site “Which?” recently looked into smart devices, to determine what data and consent different air fryers, smart watches, smart speakers, and smart TV manufacturers are asking for – and if they are excessive. It was found that all 3 of the air fryers tested asked for consumers’ locations AND wanted to be able to record audio, even though there is no clear reason why they should do so. One smartwatch maker required numerous “risky” and “invasive” permissions, including audio recording and file access in order to function. Which? found that one TV app requested 8 “risky” permissions, and 2 brands linked to trackers like Facebook and Google. Which? says smart speakers are “stuffed with trackers, including Facebook, Google and digital marketing firm Urbanairship”, and all of the devices tested wanted to know users’ precise locations.” (I kind of expected that from a smart speaker. But I’m horrified to think that our air fryer might have heard some of the things I’ve said about my wife’s cooking!)
-LADBible, HuffPost
REMEMBER THIS:
Do you ever find yourself frustrated at your forgetfulness? Well, it turns out that being forgetful might actually be a good thing. Researchers say that forgetting simple things, like the name of a person you meet on the street, or that old favorite: “What did I come into this room for?”, can serve certain functional purposes. Like what? Uh…I had it right here… Ah! Our brains are constantly being bombarded with information. If we were able to remember every detail, it would become increasingly difficult to retain important information. One of the ways that we avoid this happening is by not paying much attention in the first place. Paying close attention to something can strengthen those brain connections and sustain a memory. This same mechanism enables us to forget the irrelevant details that we encounter each day. So, while it is true that people show increased signs of being distracted or forgetful as they age, and memory-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease do exist, we need to be able to forget numerous unimportant details in order to remember the important ones.
(Is there going to be a test on this? Because “in one ear and out the other”, if ya know what I mean…!)
(Actually, what I get frustrated about is the forgetfulness of my TEENAGERS!)
-StudyFinds
THINGS THAT JUST AREN’T WORTH IT ANYMORE:
A Reddit user asked: “”What are the things you stopped buying since the price increases because it’s just not worth it anymore?” Here are some of the best – or saddest – answers…
✗ “Fast food. I already knew I shouldn’t be buying it, but moving from $10 to $15-plus sealed the deal.”
✗ “We deleted food delivery apps. The fees, even with a membership, are high. SMH.”
✗ “Concert prices have gone absolutely wild. Completely out of touch with reality?! I still can’t wrap my head around it.”
✗ “Cable TV. We canceled our TV service, kept the streaming service, and went from almost $200 a month to whatever Netflix is charging now.”
✗ “No more movie theaters. Prefer watching things at home via streaming for free or super cheap (YouTube, Netflix, etc.).”
✗ “New clothes. There are a few nice thrift stores in my area, and everything I wear comes from there.”
✗ “I started doing my nails myself. It used to be that I could get a nice manicure and pedicure for under $100, and it would last a few weeks. Now…it would be well over $100 plus tip.”
✗ “Chips. I’m sorry, but I’m not paying $6-$8 for a bag of potato chips. I buy the store brand if I buy them at all.”
✗ “Iced tea at restaurants. I used to always order it. Now, I typically just order water.”
✗ “Name-brand cereal (I have to have cereal; it’s not negotiable).”
(For me, really, it’s just taxes…!)
-BuzzFeed
DID YOU KNOW?
Plants emit sounds, which have been likened to “screams”, when they’re distressed, according to a new study. The research, by a team at Tel Aviv University, found that plants produce noises that humans can’t hear without the use of scientific equipment. The findings show that plants which are distressed emit high-pitched popping and clicking noises, while unstressed plants do not emit noises. The study’s definition of distressed included plants that were having their stems cut or were dehydrated. It’s not yet clear how the plants produce the noises. (…or exactly who is listening!)
-Indy100
BS CHRONOMETER 11.07.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Men Make Dinner Day”. Sure, millions of guys make dinner for their families on a regular basis, but this day is for the last remaining Neanderthals who never do…and for guys who are just too scared to cook. (How do you like your mac n’ cheese?)
• “Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day”, celebrating a particular combination of flavors – dark, bitter chocolate and toasted almonds. This is one of the oldest recipes involving chocolate in the English-speaking world. (Hey, chocolate with ‘whatever’ works for me!)
• “Notary Public Day”, initiated in 1975 to honor the officers who ‘administer oaths and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate documents, and perform certain other acts varying from jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction’. (Almost as exciting as “Accountants Day”)
• “Hug A Bear Day”. It isn’t about the big fuzzy beasts that roam the forests munching on nuts and berries. Hugging one of those could, in fact, lead to a very bad day. This day is about our loyal, trusty, fuzzy stuffed Teddy Bear.
• “Little League Girls Day”, in honor of New Jersey’s brave foray in equal opportunity sports for tomboys in 1973, when that state became the first to allow girls to play Little League baseball.
• “International Stout Day”, celebrating stout beer. “Stout” originally meant “proud” and “brave,” but later gained the meaning “strong.” The name became associated with any beer that was strong, regardless of if it was a dark beer or not.
• “Merlot Day”. It deserves its own day simply because of this snooty quote from acclaimed vintner Christian Moueix: “Merlot is a friendly and delicate varietal which, on the proper terroirs and harvested at its peak, produces wines characterized by voluptuous, generosity and distinction.” (Does that mean it’s gonna cost me more than 4 bucks?)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Dunce Day
[Fri] World Pianist Day
[Sat] World Freedom Day
[Sun] Sesame Street Day
This Week is…Cat Week
This Month is…Family Stories Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1942 [82] Johnny Rivers (Ramistella), New York NY, rock singer (‘Secret Agent Man’, ‘Baby I Need Your Lovin’)
1943 [81] Joni Mitchell, Fort Macleod AB, folk-pop singer (‘Big Yellow Taxi’, ‘Free Man in Paris’)
1957 [67] Christopher Knight, New York City NY, TV actor (‘Peter Brady’ on “The Brady Bunch” 1969-74)/reality TV star (“The Surreal Life”, “The Masked Singer”)
1960 [64] Tommy Thayer, Portland OR, rock guitarist (KISS 2002-23, Black ‘n Blue)
1967 [57] David Guetta, Paris France, DJ (‘Without You’ ft. Usher, ‘I’m Good (Blue)’ w/Bebe Rexha)/producer (Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna…)
1983 [41] Zach Myers, Memphis TN, rock guitarist (Shinedown-‘Second Chance’, ‘The Crow and the Butterfly’)
1983 [41] Adam Devine, Waterloo IA, TV actor (‘Andy’ on “Modern Family” 2013-18)/movie actor (“Pitch Perfect” movies) COMING UP…“Fixed”
1996 [28] Lorde (Ella Yelich-O’Connor), Takapuna New Zealand, pop singer-songwriter (‘Royals’, ‘Team’)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
2010 [14] Queen Elizabeth II launches a Facebook page (but no one is allowed to ‘poke’ or ‘friend’ her).
2011 [13] Physician Conrad Murray is found guilty of manslaughter in the drug-fueled death of Michael Jackson.
2016 [08] Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart star in the first episode of “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party”, where they make fried chicken with Wiz Khalifa.
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2014 [10] At the annual ‘Stand Up For Heroes’ benefit event, 2 wealthy fans bid $300,000 to eat lasagne with Bruce Springsteen at his home.
2016 [08] Canadian poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen (‘Suzanne’, ‘Hallelujah’) dies at 82.
2020 [04] The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G., and T. Rex enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Because of COVID-19, the ceremony is virtual.
ON THIS DATE . . .
2012 [12] US voters in Colorado and Washington approve the legalization of recreational marijuana use.
2020 [04] Former Vice-President Joe Biden is declared the winner of the US Presidential race, 4 days after the election, defeating sitting President Donald Trump.
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ Toilets account for 35% of indoor water use.
✓ The highest body count in film history goes to “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” with 836 on-screen deaths.
✓ The Spanish national anthem has no words.
✓ Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins can.
✓ Supermarket apples can be a year old. They’re usually picked between Aug. – Nov., covered in wax, hot-air dried, and put in cold storage.
✓ The word ‘bidet’ comes from the French word for ‘pony’.
-TheFactSite, ReadersDigest
Best of BS . . .
BS REJECTED NAMES FOR ‘MOVEMBER’:
It’s the month when guys grow a ’stache to raise awareness of men’s health issues. ‘Movember’ may not be the catchiest name for it, but it beats the heck out of these …
• ‘Occupy Top Lip’
• ‘Fuzzy Chops Month’
• ‘Nose-hair Extension Month’
• ‘Lip Landscaping Month’
• ‘Face Fur Fantasy’
• ‘Almost-as-Bushy-as-Grandma Month’
• ‘Miracle-Grovember’
• ‘The Only Part of My Cranium Where I Can Grow Hair Month’
-First published in BS in 2011
TODAY’S SCOOP OF ELECTION BS:
➠ Donald Trump has been elected President of the US again. Security at Mar-A-Lago has been beefed up. (Yup, security is tight. Not Melania-cheek bone-tight, but pretty tight. ..)
➠ Donald Trump has been elected President of the US again. (Has anyone done a wellness check on George Clooney?)
➠ Donald Trump has been elected President of the US again. (Thankfully, Scott Baio can get back to his normal routine of being completely ignored by show business…)
➠ Donald Trump has been elected President of the US again. (No matter if you’re Republican or Democrat, you’ve got to admit . . . it’s a relief we can all go back to ignoring Pennsylvania…!)
➠ Donald Trump has been elected President of the US again. (Sorry. I didn’t vote. I don’t wait in long lines unless there’s a new iPhone waiting for me at the end!)
BONUS:
➠ According to a poll, the most popular fictional U.S. presidents are Harrison Ford from “Air Force One” and Morgan Freeman from “Deep Impact”. (…and Barack Obama from Kenya!)
BS WEB GOODIE:
It has happened before – and it’ll happen again: https://shorturl.at/HM1GH
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I always set 2 alarms: One for the person I want to be — and one for the person I am.
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ What’s the one food you could never bring yourself to eat?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
Over half of people haven’t done THIS in 3 years. What is it?
Answer: Listened to a voicemail
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
You don’t take a photograph, you make it.