Monday, July 8, 2024 – Edition: #7749
Sweet Sheet!
BS SHOW BIZ BUZZ:
[***UPDATE***] ★ Margot Robbie is pregnant! People reports multiple sources as saying that the 34-year-old “Barbie” and husband Tom Ackerley are expecting their first baby. Robbie and Ackerley, who is also 34, first met in 2013 on the set of the World War II drama “Suite Française”, where he was an assistant director and she was in front of the camera. They married in December 2016 during a private ceremony in Australia.
-People
★ Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning film producer who collaborated with James Cameron on several projects including “Titanic” and both “Avatar” films, has died after a battle with cancer. In recent years, Landau served as the steward for expanding the “Avatar” franchise, including collaborating with Cameron and the Disney on the Avatar land and attraction at the Animal Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World, and shepherding the sequels. He was 63.
-Variety
★ John Cena made a surprise return at WWE Money in the Bank 2024 — and had a shocking announcement, too. The 16-time world champ showed up in Toronto to reveal that he will retire at next year’s WrestleMania 41 event in Las Vegas. After Sami Zayn defeated Bron Breakker to retain the championship, host Trish Stratus introduced special guest Cena. In a heartfelt speech, he informed the crowd that next year’s Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber events—the final two stops on the road to WrestleMania—will be his last. So, too, will WrestleMania 41, the 2-night extravagana at Allegiant Stadium.
-Forbes
★ Fireworks, barbecues and ‘Gru’. That’s how many Americans celebrated the Fourth of July, as “Despicable Me 4” topped the box office. The film, the latest entry in the wildly successful franchise about a domesticated former supervillain, earned $47.6 million in its first 2 days of release, and a projected $122 domestically over the 5-day holiday — an impressive result for a production with a $100 million budget. “Inside Out 2” finally fell to #2 in its 4th weekend after joining the billion-dollar club last weekend, and “A Quiet Place: Day One” held on at #3.
-Variety, HollywoodReporter
★ Judy Belushi-Pisano — an actress and producer who was married to legendary comedian John Belushi, has died at age 73. A Facebook and Instagram post shared Saturday on John’s official accounts announced that Judy recently passed away, while lauding her for her creative genius and for honoring John in the decades following his overdose death. They also mention her involvement with “The Blues Brothers” — the iconic musical-comedy film starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, which Judy was helping to make into a TV series. No cause of death has been revealed. The 2 were married from 1976 until his death in 1982.
-TMZ
★ Princess Leia’s itsy bitsy metal bikini from “Return of the Jedi,” is up for grabs at an upcoming auction, but it’s another “Star Wars” item going under the hammer that could command an out-of-this-world price. An on-screen model of a Y-wing starfighter could fetch $1 million, according to Heritage Auctions, which will kick off the 2-day sale July 25. The 27-inch resin and metal starfighter has a starting bid of $300,000. Leia’s famously skimpy outfit, which was a prototype for the scene when Princess Leia was Jabba the Hutt’s slave, has a starting bid of $30,000.
-NYPost
TODAY’S SHOW BIZ SKED:
• “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC/Global): Adam Scott, Mia Goth, Faye Webster, guest host Kathryn Hahn
• “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC/CTV): Scarlett Johansson, Joey King, Sublime
• “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS/Global): Michael Douglas, Abby Phillip, Antony Starr, Chace Crawford, Colby Minifie
• “After Midnight” (CBS/Global): Baron Vaughn, Rory Scovel, Rhys Darby
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC/CTV): Tyler Perry, Alex Cooper, Kate Shellenbach
• “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo): Joe Bradley, Nathan Gallagher
• “The Daily Show” (COM): Host Jon Stewart
• “The View” (ABC/CTV): Amandla Stenberg
• “The Talk” (CBS): TBA
• “Live with Kelly and Mark” (ABC/CTV): Faye Dunaway, Jenn Tran
• “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Check local listings): Channing Tatum, Elizabeth Debicki
• “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Check local listings): The cast of “Mean Girls”: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney. (R)
• “Jennifer Hudson Show” (Check local listings): Charlie Wilson (R)
• “The Bachelorette” (ABC): Season 21 premiere. Jenn Tran meets the 25 suitors vying for her affections.
• “Big Shark Energy” (DSC): Experts conduct a shark competition to determine which great white is the alpha in the pack; they test the sharks’ speed, hunting ability, and fearlessness.
• “BBQ Brawl” (FOOD): Season 4 premiere. In the Lonestar State, 12 new contenders are ready to show off their ‘cue.
• “American Ninja Warrior” (NBC): Qualifiers 7; the Mega Warped Wall returns.
BS MUSIC NOTES:
• OneRepublic — has released the track list for their upcoming album “Artificial Paradise”, out this Friday. It will contain 18 songs, including recent singles ‘Nobody’, ‘Fire’, and the David Guetta collab ‘I Don’t Wanna Wait’. They also released the new song ‘Hurt’. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/22ea3dnk
• Kesha – The fact that she dropped her new single ‘Joyride’ on US Independence Day was significant: The party-style song is her first release as an independent artist, following a years-long legal battle with “Dr. Luke” Gottwald. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/593rtjw4
• Ed Sheeran — When his “Mathematics” tour ends, it’ll end up being a 3-year trek. He has just announced the final leg, which starts next May, will end in Sept. 2025. He plans to be “hitting most of the other places we haven’t been to yet.” He also teased new music, posting: “It was time to Stop, but then we can press Play…” — with the words “Stop” and “Play” capitalized. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/ycxb8b6t
• Bon Jovi – Their new album “Forever” has set an unwanted record. After debuting at #5 in its first week of release, it fell all the way out of the Billboard 200 album chart the following week. Unless it returns, Forever will be the first Bon Jovi studio album to only last 1 week in the Top 200.
• Van Halen – An Eddie Van Halen guitar emblazoned with the Canadian flag is going up for auction Nov. 21. The long-lost 1993 Ernie Ball Music Signature Canada Day guitar will be part of Julien’s Auctions Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘N’ Roll Iconic Guitars auction. He played it at a 1993 Canada Day concert at Molson Park in Barrie ON. It features the red Maple Leaf, with signatures of all the band members.
• Morgan Wallen — took a tumble while performing at BST Hyde Park in London on Thursday. Video shows that while singing ‘You Proof’, it looks like the toe of his boot catches on a piece of equipment, causing him to fall. He caught himself and popped up to continue singing, apparently uninjured. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/5ysdk4ht
• Shaboozey – has scored his first-ever top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ jumped 6 spots to #6 on the latest chart. The crossover hit is now the first song ever to go top 10 on all 4 of these charts: Country Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay.
• Willie Nelson – The 91-year-old returned to the stage at his annual 4th of July picnic, following a handful of health-related cancellations. This year’s party, at a waterfront venue in Camden NJ, saw Nelson tell the crowd: “It’s good to be back. I’m real lucky to be here, and thank you for coming.”
SHOOTING THE BULL
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
If it’s happiness you’re looking for – and, really, who isn’t, especially on a Monday? – the answer could be as simple as this: Eating cheese, and being extraverted. A study of over 2 million people by the Shanghai Jiao Tony University School of Medicine found that those who reported eating more cheese registered higher in happiness, health and longer lifespans. And a 2020 report published by Current Psychology found that the most reliable predictors of life satisfaction (or happiness) are the personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness and emotional stability. Other studies have found that actions one takes to benefit or protect the environment have been shown to drastically boost happiness, and that a mood boost can be realized simply by walking in nature – even “urban nature”.
(Well, I can definitely see how eating cheese can make one happy, but what about the crust, tomato sauce, and the pepperoni?)
(For me to be extraverted, I’d also have to be drunk. Hmmm…maybe they’re onto something here!)
-Globe&Mail
WEAK WORKWEEK IDEA:
While the idea of a 4-day workweek is steadily gaining steam in other parts of the world, one country is moving in the opposite direction. Greece has introduced a 6-day work week for some. New legislation now in effect gives workers the option of adding a 6th day to their work week, or working an additional 2 hours per day. Those who opt in will be paid 40% cent more than their usual wage for the extra hours worked. And experts are keeping a close eye on the move, as many other countries face similar concerns to what Greece is seeing: The so-called an economic “ticking time bomb” of the combination of a shortage of skilled workers and a shrinking population. While some see it as “potentially a good idea”, others feel a potential problem is worker exploitation – where the optional extra hours could become more of an expectation, leading to a poor work-life balance among employees.
(On the other hand, if we got [***Afternoon guy***] to work an extra 2 hours per day, he could STILL be out of here by 5!)
(No doubt this was dreamed up by some crafty you-know-what who was looking for a way to get out of visiting his mother-in-law on Saturdays!)
-CTV
NEW GOOD NEWS:
➢ The world’s most-popular YouTuber has built 100 homes for South Americans in disaster areas. James Donaldson, aka ‘MrBeast’, who has 300 million subscribers, and they usually see him perform crazy stunts, like shredding a half-million-dollar Lamborghini and hiring a real assassin to try and hunt him down. But he has used the revenue from his antics to spend millions and millions to help people. In a video titled ‘I Built 100 Houses And Gave Them Away’, he details how he has taken his “Beast Philanthropy” series to target areas where natural disasters had left people without a roof over their heads – including a Jamaican family that had lost its home in a landslide, and in El Salvador, where MrBeast paid for the construction of row housing a safe distance from a river that had recently flooded and washed a community away. The families’ reactions to the classic blindfold reveal were caught on camera for a 9-minute montage of tears, jumping for joy, and celebrating in Spanish. LINK: https://youtu.be/KkCXLABwHP0
➢ A 5-year-old has been reunited with her favorite teddy bear which she lost at Disney World – after ‘Mickey Mouse’ found and it returned it to her home in the UK. Leilani Hatton was devastated after her beloved Jofli was misplaced at Magic Kingdom during a family holiday to Florida in May. Her family had lost all hope of seeing the teddy ever again — until a package arrived on their doorstep 2 weeks later. Inside was a note from Disney and, more importantly, Jofli, who had been sent on a transatlantic trip free of charge. Grandmother Lynne says Leilani had been taking Jofli everywhere with her, collecting all the Disney Princesses’ signatures. They “never thought in a million years” that they would get the teddy back, and it’s still a mystery how and where he was found. Young Leilani has written an adorable note to Mickey Mouse, which reads: “Dear Mickey, thank you for finding Jofli, love Lani.”
-GoodNewsNetwork, SWNS
SAMPLING THE STAMPEDE:
The 111th Calgary Stampede opened on Friday (runs to the 14th). While some people definitely go for the rodeo, some are just there for the food. Here’s a sampling of this year’s menu:
➠ Watermelon burger: Instead of a bun, it features sesame-covered watermelon slices. Served with feta, spinach and fresh mint, and drizzled with balsamic reduction.
➠ Cheeseburger Ice Cream: It’s a vanilla-infused BBQ-flavored ice cream in a waffle cone. It’s then dunked in hot cheese and sprinkled with sesame seeds, and garnished with an onion ring and a pickle. (Perfect if you’re too cheap to buy both a meal, and dessert?)
➠ Pickle Fry Poutine: It combines brined, seasoned, and fried pickle fries with Quebec cheese curds and hot gravy. This unique twist on the classic Canadian dish adds a tangy crunch, and the dill flavor is said to perfectly complement the savoury elements of the poutine.
➠ Gator Pepperoni Pizza: Not kidding. It features a thin crust topped with low-fat mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and artisan alligator pepperoni. When are you going to have another chance to eat alligator – in Calgary? (Best enjoyed with Gatorade?)
➠ Ube Coconut Little Donuts: A new take on a Stampede classic. These mini donuts are infused with ube, a purple yam from the Philippines, which gives them a distinctive color and earthy flavor, then topped with ube cream and sweet coconut shavings.
➠ Cowboyaki: It is a fusion dish that blends traditional Japanese takoyaki with Stampede flair. These ball-shaped snacks are filled with meat floss, octopus, seaweed strips, pickled ginger, and cabbage — then brushed with teriyaki sauce. (Because, why not?)
And to wash it down…
➠ Chamoy Lemonade: It combines classic lemonade with chamoy, a tangy and spicy Mexican condiment. Topped with chilli lime seasoning and peach rings, it is said to be a refreshing sip that’s both sweet and spicy.
(Try one of each, then go try to ride a bull for 8 seconds!)
-CalgaryWhere, CalgaryHerald
DID YOU KNOW?
If you’re, pardon the pun, tired of waking up tired, try waking up to music. Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia found in a 2020 study that waking to a more melodic alarm improves alertness, while harsh alarm tones cause more grogginess. They point out that while most of us would probably appreciate some extra alertness in the morning, the findings are especially important for emergency workers, or anyone else required to wake up at peak alertness at unusual times. (But I’ve got to admit, when my neighbor fires up his leaf blower at 7:00 on a Sunday morning, I’m usually pretty alert right off the bat!)
-StudyFinds
BS CHRONOMETER 07.08.24
TODAY’S BS REASONS TO PARTY . . .
• “Be a Kid Again Day”, when we’re encouraged to participate in activities we enjoyed as a child, and to introduce them to a kid we know. (“OK, Zachary, this is known as ‘playing outdoors’ …”) What do you miss most about being a kid?
• “Ice Cream Sundae Day”, a day to create your own sundae from all your favorite toppings. The first sundae was purportedly created on this date in 1881 by Edward Berner in Two Rivers WI. (FUN FACT: Though there are many supposed sundae origin stories, most of them agree that the sundae’s original spelling was “Sunday”, but it was changed to avoid religious connotation.)
• “National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day”, celebrating what happens when these 2 fantastic tastes come together into a mind-bendingly delectable whole. Today, have some brownies, cupcakes, or muffins made with milk chocolate and almonds. Or just eat some almonds covered with milk chocolate. (Not if I get to them first!)
• “Math 2.0 Day”, celebrating math and technology, specifically the intersection between the 2. Today, mathematicians, educators, innovators, and policymakers come together to raise awareness about math literacy and education. (Figures…)
• “SCUD (Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama) Day”, to remind people of the benefits of spending more time in the ‘Comic Zone’ and less in the ‘Drama Zone’. Today, step back, relax and laugh, and leave the drama alone. (I particularly enjoy those who claim they hate drama, but feel the need to dramatically complain about it…)
• “International Town Criers Day”, observed on the 2nd Monday of July, to honor the news announcers of yesteryear, who wandered throughout towns proclaiming the latest events, announcements, and even the weather. (“7 o’clock and all’s well!”)
AND REMEMBER . . .
[Tues] Fashion Day
[Tues] Sugar Cookie Day
[Wed] Don’t Step on a Bee Day
[Thurs] Mojito Day
This Week Is…Canned Luncheon Meat Week
This Month Is…Grilling Month
TODAY’S CELEBIRTHDAYS . . .
1944 [80] Jeffrey Tambor, San Francisco CA, TV actor (‘Maura Pfefferman’ on “Transparent” 2014-17, “Arrested Development” 2003-19)/movie actor (“Hangover” films)
1949 [75] Wolfgang Puck, Sankt Veit an der Glan Austria, celeb chef (“Hell’s Kitchen” 2011-14, “The Chef Show”)/restauranteur (‘Spago’ and ‘Wolfgang Puck’ restaurants)
1951 [73] Anjelica Huston, Santa Monica CA, TV actress (“Smash” 2012-13)/movie actress (“Prizzi’s Honor”, “The Addams Family”)
1958 [66] Kevin Bacon, Philadelphia PA, movie actor (“Apollo 13”, “Footloose”)/TV actor (“The Following” 2013-15)/married to Kyra Sedgwick since 1988. COMING UP… “Connescence”
1968 [56] Billy Crudup, Manhasset NY, movie actor (“Almost Famous”, “Mission: Impossible III”)/TV actor (“The Morning Show” since 2019)/married to Naomi Watts since 2023
1970 [54] Beck (Hanson) [Bek Campbell], LA CA, alt-rock singer (‘Loser’, ‘Devils Haircut’)
1973 [51] Sebastian Maniscalco, Arlington Heights IL, comedian-movie actor (“About My Father”, “Green Book”)/TV actor (“Bookie” since 2023)
1977 [47] Milo Ventimiglia, Anaheim CA, TV actor (‘Jack Pearson’ on “This Is Us” 2016-22)/movie actor (“Rocky Balboa”, “Creed 2”)
1982 [42] Sophia Bush, Pasadena CA, TV actress (“Chicago P.D.” 2014-17, “One Tree Hill” 2003-12)
1985 [39] Jamie Cook, Sheffield England, indie rock guitarist-songwriter (Arctic Monkeys-‘Do I Wanna Know?’, ‘I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor’)
1998 [26] Jaden Smith, Malibu CA, movie actor (“The Karate Kid”, “The Pursuit of Happyness”)/rapper (w/Justin Bieber-‘Never Say Never’)/son of Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith
1998 [26] Maya Hawke, New York City NY, TV actress (“Stranger Things” since 2019, “Little Women”)/daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman
THIS DAY IN SHOW BIZ . . .
1999 [25] “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” the third book of the series by JK Rowling, is first published (exactly one year later, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is published)
2020 [04] “Glee” actress-singer Naya Rivera drowns at age 33 near Santa Clarita, California, while swimming with her 4-year-old son Josey, who was found alone on their rented boat
TODAY’S MUSIC EVENTS . . .
1996 [28] Spice Girls release their debut single ‘Wannabe’ in the UK. It shoots to #1, setting Spice-mania (and Girl Power) in motion. It is released in North America in Jan. 1997, and hits #1 there as well
2023 [01] Elton John wraps up his farewell tour with a show in Stockholm. Since 2018, he played to over 6 million fans in 22 countries. It sets the mark for highest-grossing tour at over $900 million, a record broken months later by Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour
TODAY’S FIRST . . .
1947 [77] It is reported that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico. Although the Air Force explains it was actually a downed weather balloon, the ‘Roswell Incident’ spurs numerous conspiracy theories about alien activity and government cover-ups
TODAY’S RECORD . . .
1977 [47] Sabra Starr finishes the longest-ever recorded belly dance (100 hrs)
BULL’S BITS
BS WHACK FACTS:
✓ For the Apollo 11 moon landing conspiracy theory to be true, over 400,000 people would need to be part of the secret.
✓ Mallard ducks have 360-degree vision.
✓ Scientists have discovered that turtles can “talk” to each other through low-frequency clicking and hooting.
✓ A full bladder is about the size of a softball.
✓ In very early baseball games, umpires sat in rocking chairs – 20 feet behind home plate.
✓ Oklahoma declared watermelon a vegetable, then made it the official state vegetable.
-Facts, RandomFactGenerator
Best of BS . . .
BS STUPID QUESTIONS FOR STONERS:
• If you smoke weed on a boat, does that mean it’s sea weed?
• If you drop soap on the floor, is the floor clean or is the soap dirty?
• In the word “scent”, is the ‘S’ or the ‘C’ silent?
• Why does Mercedes have 3 E’s all pronounced differently?
• How many Lowe’s would Rob Lowe rob if Rob Lowe could rob Lowe’s?
• If Maria had 10 joints and she smoked 9, why is there cake left in her fridge?
• What if 9/11 happened on 420?
• What were we just talking about?
• What were words called before someone came up with the word “word”?
• Got any weed?
• Have you seen Dave, man?
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2019
BS FEMALE SUPERHERO PROBLEMS:
• Their costumes were all designed by Victoria’s Secret.
• Having to ‘friend zone’ at least one male superhero a week.
• They can save the universe, and still, they get called ‘girl’.
• Super‘mansplaining’.
• Supervillains telling them to calm down.
• Receiving a text while diverting an asteroid from colliding with earth that says “U up?”.
• Can’t fight crime on Mondays at 8pm because “The Bachelorette” is on.
• Can’t hang out in groups or their super-powers sync up and things get real ugly for the male superheroes.
• Same problem as male superheroes. No pockets.
• No privacy when you want to join the Mile-High Club in your invisible jet.
-Twitter, first published in BS in 2018
BS WEB GOODIE:
Definitely the highlight of her weekend: https://tinyurl.com/bddupk67
BS RANDOM JOKE:
If each day is a gift, then I’d like to know where I can return Mondays.
BS U-PICK TRIVIA:
• Which country is known as the “Land of the Rising Sun”?
a) Japan [CORRECT]
b) China
c) South Korea
d) Sunegal
• Which country is home to the Great Barrier Reef?
a) Mexico
b) Guatemala
c) Australia [CORRECT]
d) Vatican City
• What is the main language spoken in Brazil?
a) Spanish
b) Portuguese [CORRECT]
c) French
d) Football
-IcebreakerIdeas
BS PHONE STARTER:
☎ Give me an excuse to tell the boss why I can’t come into work tomorrow. The crazier the better…
BS WATER COOLER QUESTION:
About half of all men say they would make THIS change to their appearance if their partner asked. What is it?
Answer: Shave their chest hair
BS DEEP THOUGHT:
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.
