Thursday, June 20, 2024 – Edition: #7738
Here’s Sheet in Your Eye!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
★ “Yellowstone” star Kevin Costner has finally addressed rumors that he’s dating Jewel. In an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show”, Costner said: “Jewel and I are friends. We’ve never gone out.” He also called the ‘Foolish Games’ singer “special”, and said he doesn’t “want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that’s what we have.” The 2 first sparked dating rumors when they were seen together at a fundraiser for Jewel’s Inspiring Children Foundation in November, with one pic showing Costner with his arms wrapped around her.
-E!
★ Ian McKellen has thanked fans and those who offered support following his fall during Monday’s performance of “Player Kings” at the Noël Coward theatre in London. In a statement, he said: “My injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.” The 85-year-old was reportedly in a battle scene when he lost his footing and fell off the front of the stage. BBC said: “As the house lights came up, the actor cried out and staff rushed to help.”
-Variety
★ Pat Sajak’s final turn as “Wheel of Fortune” host drew the game show’s largest audience in 4 years. The episode, which aired on Friday, June 7, scored 11.03 million viewers, according to Nielsen, the show’s highest viewership in 1,072 episodes, since April 29, 2020. Sajak’s farewell program ranked as the most-watched telecast for the week in both audience size and share, when compared to all other broadcast, cable and syndicated programming, excluding sports.
-TheWrap
★ The Toronto Film Festival has unveiled its first titles for 2024, leading off with world premieres for the documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late”, Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck” and Marielle Heller’s “Nightbitch”, which stars Amy Adams as a stay-at-home-mom whose domestic life takes a surreal turn. The Life of Chuck is based on the 2020 Stephen King short story of the same name. TIFF, which is set to run from Sept. 5-15, also plans career honors for David Cronenberg and Adams.
-HollywoodReporter
★ Matt Bomer and Nathan Lane will star in a “Golden Girls”- inspired sitcom. Hulu’s “Mid-Century Modern” will be executive produced by Ryan Murphy, and was created by “Will & Grace’s” Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Variety reports that Bomer will take on the ditzy ‘Rose’-like character, played by Betty White in Golden Girls, with Lane taking on the ‘Dorothy’ (Bea Arthur)-like character. Linda Lavin will play Lane’s mother, a la ‘Sophia’. No word on a release date yet.
-Variety, TVLine
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Zac Efron, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Gracie Abrams
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Emma Stone, Eva Longoria, Chappell Roan
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Jeremy Allen White, Ava DuVernay
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Lisa Gilroy, Reid Scott, Kimia Behpoornia
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Jesse Plemons, Diane von Furstenberg, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Mario Duplantier
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Iggy Azalea, Sandra Bernhard
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Ebon Moss-Bachrach, hosts Ronny Chieng & Desi Lydic
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Dr. Anthony Fauci, Jessica Alba
• “The Talk” (CBS): Gina Rodriquez
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): John Stamos, Heidi Gardner
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Ava DuVernay, Zayn Malik, Wrabel
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): Internet grandma “Brunch With Babs”
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Gabriel Iglesias, Ariana Madix
• “U.S. Olympic Trials” (NBC): Swimming; Diving
• “The First 48” (A&E): In Mobile AL, 2 men are killed after their car is sprayed with bullets on the highway, Ieading detectives across the country in search of answers.
• “Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play.” (HBO): Playwright Jeremy O. Harris takes viewers behind the scenes, as he strips down his own work and directs new actors for his daring play “Slave Play.”
• “Alone Australia” (HISTORY): Season 2 premiere.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• Sabrina Carpenter – currently boasts the top 2 songs on the Billboard Global 200 chart, with ‘Espresso’ at the top, and ‘Please Please Please’ debuting at #2. Please Please Please is currently #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (US chart), while Espresso is at #3.
• Usher – doesn’t eat on Wednesdays. He detailed his health and wellness routine to the Wall Street Journal, saying that he fasts, “not for religious purposes, but it’s something my grandmother practiced.” He starts his weekly fast around 11pm on Tuesdays, “then go the entire day on Wednesday just drinking water.”
• Smokey Robinson and Sheila E — are among those who will perform live on “A Capitol Fourth”, the annual PBS special celebrating US Independence Day. It will air July 4 at 8pm, and will also feature fireworks live from the West Lawn of the US Capitol in Washington. Alfonso Ribeirowill host, and other performers include: Sister Sledge, Fantasia, Darren Criss, Fitz and Noelle from Fitz and The Tantrums.
• The Cult – has announced a run of Fall 2024 North American tour dates, which are being billed as a preview of the band’s soon-to-be-announced 2025 US 40th anniversary tour. The fall outing kicks off September 4th in Montreal. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3myymer2
• Guns N’ Roses — Axl Rose will appear on the new album by Michael Schenker “My Years With UFO”. Out Sept. 20, it will feature new recordings of UFO songs from Schenker’s tenure with the band. Rose takes lead on a new version of ‘Love to Love’. Other contributors include Slash, Dee Snider, Ratt frontman Steven Pearcy, Deep Purple’s Roger Glover, and Saxon main man Biff Byford. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/44m8h72k
• Koe Wetzel – has notched his first 2 Billboard Hot Country Songs top 10s – simultaneously. ‘High Road’, with Jessie Murph has debuted at 3*, while ‘Sweet Dreams’ has risen from #12 to #10.
• Jelly Roll and Post Malone – are among the artists who have been tapped to headline the 2024 Global Citizen Festival at New York’s Central Park. The’ll join co-headliners Doja Cat and Rauw Alejandro for the festival, which will take place on the Great Lawn on Sept. 28. It’ll be hosted by Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman.
• Jelly Roll – has booked his first-ever Canadian performances. He’ll play July 8 in St. Catharines ON, and the next night, Jelly and Shaboozey will perform at 2024 Ottawa Bluesfest. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yc63nkvd
• George Strait – set a record on Saturday, when 110,905 people filled the Texas A&M University football stadium for his concert. The show, in College Station, Texas, was the largest ticketed concert in United States history. His new album “Cowboys and Dreamers” drops on Sept. 6. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3zftrbhp
SHOOTING THE BULL
GOOD LOOK – BAD SIGN:
Makeup sales are up – and that’s not necessarily a good thing. The so-called “lipstick index” was named by Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder in 2001. His theory was that during an economic downturn, women tended to purchase lipstick as “small pick-me-ups” while cutting back on more expensive things. Fast forward to now, and Sephora recently announced a record sales year, while research group Circana reported a 9% bump in prestige beauty sales. So, does this mean another recession? Possibly. But we might want to wait until we see how the gourmet chocolate-makers are doing. A writer for the Independent suggests that the term “indulgence index,” to include other small luxuries, like fancy chocolate, might be more accurate. Other products used as quirky economic indicators include men’s underwear, hair dye, and champagne, all of which tend to see a drop in sales during harder times.
(Whoops. I’d like to take this time to wholeheartedly apologize for using the words “drop” and “men’s underwear” in the same sentence!)
(…and you know the economy is REALLY bad when you’re wearing NO underwear – because it’s your brother’s turn!)
-Newser
PINWHEELY GOOD IDEA:
With more concerns arising these days about the use of social media among teens — and even younger kids, a US company says it has a solution: a kid-safe smartphone”. Pinwheel made its smartphone for kids available in Canada this week, aimed at the 8-14 crowd. It has features like photo-sharing, texting, games and “more than 1,200 apps available”. But Pinwheel says the phone also contains “age-appropriate guardrails”, such as no internet browser or social media, and parental monitoring tools which allow mom & dad to remotely monitor texts, designate contact lists, and set usage schedules. The Android phones are installed with Pinwheel’s operating system. A $20 monthly subscription fee is above and beyond the regular carrier plan, which also allows complete remote access to the phone. The company says their phones provide “a way to help kids develop healthy habits around digital device usage and screentime without the negative impacts and distractions of social media and open Internet access.” This week, the US Surgeon General asked for legislation that would stamp social media apps with a warning stating that social media “is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents”.
(Hey, if it stops cyberbullying, I’m all for it. Because when I forget to pick my kids up after school, they can be BRUTAL!)
(Great idea. But my kid would figure out how to bypass all that “no internet” business in about 13 minutes!)
-CTV
HOT STUFF:
❑ Apparently, the one thing that all the “it-girls” seem to agree on is – the shade ‘butter yellow’ is going to be hot this summer. And while yellow is a typical spring-summer color every year, this year, it’s definitely a thing: Data shows that searches for “butter yellow” have skyrocketed 98% on the Asos fashion company’s website over the past month. And I’m sure you’ve seen the trendy color all over TikTok’s #foryoupage. And over the last few months, butter yellow has been featured on some big-name fashion trend-setters, including Hailey Beiber and Emily Ratajawkowski – and current singing sweetheart Sabrina Carpenter. (And at the discount stores: “Margarine yellow”!)
❑ Now, we can’t expect all the “it-people” to agree on the new summer fashion trend for men, but this one is definitely growing in popularity in some circles: Short shorts. At Gucci’s Spring 2025 menswear show in Italy this week, short shorts dominated the runway, with 41 out of 46 ensembles featuring pants that ride high on the thigh. In attendance was “Gladiator 2” star Paul Mescal, sporting a pair of white striped shortys, styled with loafers, mid-calf socks and a blue Oxford. Jeremy Allen White and Donald Glover have also been seen recently in micro trousers, as has Chris Pine, who defended his fashion choice to E! News by saying: “It’s called short shorts, isn’t it? It’s supposed to be short.” (I don’t like this…Possibly because my legs are so skinny that chickens call me “chicken legs”!)
-NYPost
GORDON RAMSAY’S 3 GOLDEN RULES FOR EATING AT A RESTAURANT:
1. Be wary of places that throw around ‘suspicious boasts’ about the quality of their food: Buzzwords like “famous” or “best in the country” without any evidence to back them up should set alarm bells ringing. After all, “Who said that? Who named that?” (You should also be alarmed if they brag that it’s the “Worst in the country”!)
2. Too many ‘specials’: Ramsay says: “Specials are there to disappear throughout the evening. When they list 10 specials, that’s not special.” (After all, if the specials board is too big, it’s basically just another menu…)
3. When it comes to ordering wine, ask for the “bin end” list: This is comprised of bottles with scratched labels or vintages which haven’t sold well. This can be a good way to get the best bottle for a bargain price. Also, asking for a bottle of whatever is recommended for no more than $30 can get you an under-appreciated tipple on the cheap. (You had me at “tipple” . . . AND at cheap!)
(Points taken. After all, I’d rather get tips from him about dining than about cycling!)
-LADBible
DID YOU KNOW?
A fascinating new paper by researchers at Harvard and University of Montana argues it is possible that, despite the fact that we continue to hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence in deep space, aliens are already here, living in secret bases deep underground, or beneath the ocean waves. While the authors, acknowledge that this “cryptoterrestrial hypothesis” is likely to be viewed skeptically by most scientists, the report takes a deep dive into anthropology, history, geology, biology, and mythology, and scrutinizes so-called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena activity, including sightings of objects entering or exiting volcanoes, oceans, and lakes, that could indicate bases hidden in inaccessible locations. (This might also explain Zuckerberg…)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 06.20.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “First Day of Summer”, in the Northern Hemisphere. Also known as Summer Solstice, it is observed when the Sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky, making it the day with the longest period of light. (…as opposed to the longest day of the year, which is the day before you leave for vacation!) Summer officially arrives this afternoon at 4:51pm EDT. Some Fun Summer Facts . . .
➢ The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin words “sun” and “stoppage.” Makes sense: the sun stops moving north that day. (Sounds scary, though…)
➢ The solstice is also when those in the northern hemisphere see the highest sun of the year. But it’s getting lower over time. That’s because Earth’s tilt is slowly decreasing.
➢ The solstice is when the sun is lowest in the sky for those at the equator.
➢ Today, the sun rises farthest left on the horizon, and sets at its rightmost possible spot. Sunlight strikes places in your rooms that get illuminated at no other time. (Should’ve dusted!)
➢ And most importantly: “It’s the start of Summer!”
• “World Productivity Day”. Today, start looking at your processes and seeing where waste can be cut, set a list of things to accomplish and where you think productivity is lacking, identify problem areas and begin an action plan to solve it. (Then when you see all the time you’ve wasted, get back to work and do things the way you always do, only faster!)
• “World Refugee Day”, first declared by the UN in 2001 as an expression of solidarity with Africa, which hosts the most refugees.
• “American Eagle Day”, commemorating America’s national symbol, the Bald Eagle. In a 1784 letter, Benjamin Franklin complained about the choice of the Bald Eagle as America’s symbol, saying he preferred … the turkey. (If they went with that, would I be wearing jeans with “American Turkey” written across my butt?)
• “New Identity Day”. Have fun thinking about who you might want to be for a day. (If you could be anyone else for a day [famous or not], who would it be?
• “Hike With a Geek Day”, summoning the techies, geeks, IT gurus, and gamers to push away the keyboard and strike out across the inviting landscapes of nature. But if you’ve ever texted your significant other from another room, today also serves as a reminder that you should consider unplugging for a bit — and re-engaging with the people around you.
• “Ice Cream Soda Day”. You should invest some time in slurping this frothy wonderment up a stripey straw. The drink is simply comprised of a couple of scoops of ice-cream in any carbonated beverage.
• And for those who don’t like to rock the boat, today is also “Plain Yogurt Day” and “Vanilla Milkshake Day”.
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Fri] Selfie Day
[Fri] Take Your Dog to Work Day
[Sat] Smurfs Day
[Sun] Let It Go Day
This Week is…Roller Coaster Week
This Month is…Great Outdoors Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1942 [82] Brian Wilson, Inglewood CA, rock singer-songwriter (The Beach Boys -‘Good Vibrations’, ‘Surfin’ USA’)/writer or co-writer of over 25 Top 40 hits/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1988
1945 [79] (Morna) Anne Murray, Springhill NS, pop-country singer (‘Snowbird’, ‘Could I Have This Dance’, ‘You Needed Me’)/Order of Canada 1975
1949 [75] Lionel Richie, Tuskegee AL, pop singer (‘All Night Long’, Commodores-‘Easy’)/reality TV judge (“American Idol” since 2018)
1952 [72] John Goodman, Afton MO, TV actor (“Roseanne” 1988-97, 2018, “The Conners” since 2018)/ movie actor (“10 Cloverfield Lane”, “The Babe”)
1954 [70] Michael Anthony (Sobolewski), Chicago IL, rock bassist (Van Halen-‘Jump’, ‘Runnin’ With the Devil’/plays in “Sammy Hagar and the Circle” and “Chickenfoot” with his former Van Halen bandmate/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2007
1960 [64] John Taylor, Solihull England, pop-rock bassist (Duran Duran- ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, ‘Rio’, The Power Station-‘Get it On’)
1967 [57] Nicole Kidman, Honolulu HI, movie actress (“The Others”, “Moulin Rouge!”)/married to Keith Urban since 2006/married to Tom Cruise 1990-2001. COMING UP… “Babygirl”, 2024
1968 [56] Robert Rodriguez, San Antonio TX, movie director-producer-screenwriter (“Machete” movies, “Sin City” films)
1989 [35] Christopher Mintz-Plasse, LA CA, movie actor (“Kick-Ass” films, “Superbad”)
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1975 [49] “Jaws”, based on the book by Peter Benchley, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Roy Scheider, is released. It is considered the first-ever summer “blockbuster” film
2006 [18] BBC cancels its landmark weekly pop music show “Top of the Pops” after a record 42 years on-air
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
2008 [16] Jimmy Buffett announces his Margaritaville Holdings is buying Trump Marina Hotel Casino for $316 million. His business empire already includes tequila, beer, frozen food, footwear, restaurants, a resort, a record label, and recording studio
2008 [16] Surrey University in England awards Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page an honorary Doctorate in Music
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
2013 [11] Instagram first gives users the ability to upload videos
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
2020 [04] The highest-ever temperature in the Arctic Circle is recorded: 38°C (100F) in Verkhoyansk, Siberia, Russia
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ The first day of summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) is always between June 20th and June 22nd. It varies due to the Earth’s rotation not exactly reflecting our calendar year.
✓ The U.S. government gave Indiana University $1 million to study memes.
✓ Humans cannot walk in a straight line without a visual point. When blindfolded, we will gradually walk in a circle.
✓ A “gut feeling” is a chemical signal that your stomach creates to warn the brain of danger.
✓ On average, football (soccer) players run as far as 9.5 miles (15.2km) in a single match.
✓ In Italy, Darth Vader’s name was changed to ‘Lord Fener’ because ‘Vader’ sounds too similar to the word ‘toilet’ in Italian.
-UberFacts, Parade
Summer arrives in the Northern Hemisphere at 4:51pm EDT today. Here’s your official…
BS SUMMER BUCKET LIST:
• Make vanilla pudding. Put in mayo jar. Eat in public.
• Wear shirt that says “Life”. Hand out lemons on street corner.
• Hire two private investigators. Get them to follow each other.
• Get on a crowded elevator and say, “I bet you’re all wondering why I gathered you here today”…with a straight face.
• Buy a horse, name it “Oscar Takes The Lead,” enter it in horse races.
• Buy a parrot. Teach it to say, “Help! I’ve been turned into a parrot!”
• Put blue Gatorade in a Windex bottle. Drink it in public.
• Follow joggers around in a car, blasting ‘Eye of the Tiger’.
-Pinterest, first published in BS in 2019
BS REJECTED ROCK BIOPICS:
• Keeping it Real: The Milli Vanilli Story
• How I Roll: The Rick Astley Story
• On the Road Again (and other places people found me unconscious): The Willie Nelson Story
• Weird Al Yankovic: The World Accordion to Al
• Sting: My Battle With Chinese Food Addiction: MSG in a Bottle
• The Cure: Worse Than the Symptom
• The Break of Dawn: The Downfall of Tony Orlando
• I’ll be Home By 9pm: Pat Boone…R&B Legend
• Courtney Love: Driving Miss Crazy
• A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud by Brian May (that was his actual PhD thesis!)
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
BS WEB GOODIE:
A day in the life: https://tinyurl.com/2423s6e8
BS RANDOM JOKE:
I never feel more alone than when I’m trying to put sunscreen on my back.
BS PHONE STARTER:
What’s your favorite outdoor activity?
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
According to a survey about summertime, the average number is 5. Five what?
Answer: The number of hot days before we break down and turn on the A/C
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
Spring being a tough act to follow, God created Summer.
