COUNTRY July 20, 2015

[printfriendly]

Bits & Breaks • Country Prep • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • Image of the Day • Joke of the Day! • Last Minute Items • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Video of the Day • Wacky-But-True

---

DATEBOOK: JULY 20, 2015

This is day 201 of 2015. There are 164 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Diana Rigg (The Avengers) is 77

• Kim Carnes is 70

• Carlos Santana is 68

• Donna Dixon (Bosom Buddies) is 58

• Naturalist Terri Irwin (widow of Steve Irwin) is 51

• Josh Holloway (Lost) is 46

• Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy, Sideways) is 44

• Omar Epps is 42

• Judy Greer is 40

• Elliott Yamin (American Idol) is 37

• Gisele Bündchen (married to quarterback Tom Brady) is 35

• Julianne Hough (Dancing With the Stars) is 27

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1871: British Columbia joined the confederation as a Canadian province.

• 1881: Sioux Indian leader Sitting Bull, a fugitive since the Battle of the Little Big Horn, surrendered to federal troops.

• 1944: Adolf Hitler was only slightly wounded when a bomb planted by would-be assassins exploded at the German leader’s Rastenburg headquarters.

• 1958: Late TV pitchman Billy Mays was born.

• 1969: Apollo 11 Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin Jr became the first humans to walk on the Moon, while Command Module Pilot Michael Collins orbited above.

• 1976: America’s Viking 1 robot spacecraft landed on Mars.

• 1990: A federal appeals court set aside Oliver North’s Iran-Contra convictions.

• 1993: White House deputy counsel Vince Foster was found shot to death in a park near Washington, D.C., in an apparent suicide.

• 1999: After 38 years at the bottom of the Atlantic, astronaut Gus Grissom’s Liberty Bell 7 Mercury capsule was lifted to the surface.

• 2007: President George W. Bush signed an executive order prohibiting cruel and inhuman treatment, including humiliation or denigration of religious beliefs, in the detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• National Moth Week

• Everybody Deserves A Massage Week

• National Zoo Keeper Week

• Lollipop Day

• Ugly Truck Day

UPCOMING

• September 7: Labor Day

• September 10: NFL season begins (Steelers at Patriots)

• More holidays

Top

---

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

750: Speed, in miles per hour, of a sun set. Another way to explain it: One second after the sun sets where you are, the sun will set approximately two blocks away.

Top

---

NEWS ATTACK!

A full-size plastic tiger at a national forest in New Mexico caused anxious calls to 911 when people mistook it for the real thing. [Because we all know how tigers like to maintain the same pose for days.]

Mexican authorities investigating the escape of El Chapo Guzman have arrested seven officials. [Not that they’re actually gonna stay in jail long.]

Donald Trump said that the only reason John McCain is considered a war hero is because he was a prisoner of war, and The Donald said that he prefers people who weren’t captured. [If this guy is elected president, his Secret Service codename will be Mr. Charm.]

Google shareholders experienced the largest windfall in U.S. investor history the other day, reaping $65.1 billion. [Which explains why the number one google search that day was for offshore tax shelters.]

A nutritional study finds that less than 15% of Americans eat enough fruit. [Unless you include Froot Loops.]

Two commuter trains in New York City sideswiped each other. Fortunately, there were no injuries. [But for both trains their graffiti were completely destroyed.]

The spiritual Supreme Leader of Iran says that despite the historic non-nuclear agreement just signed his country and the U.S. will not become close friends. [But he did hold out hope that a greeting card over the holidays might be okay.]

Researchers found that the best age to get married is from 27 to 29. [By that time you’ve learned more about yourself, and you know exactly which qualities to look for in a good divorce attorney.]

The latest study shows that firstborns have a higher IQ than their siblings. [Wow. Just when you thought that things couldn’t get any worse for Jeb Bush.]

Researchers have determined that there are four kinds of drunks. The Hemingway, the high functioning drinker; the Mr. Hyde, the drinker who becomes aggressive; the Mary Poppins, who becomes sweet; and the Nutty Professor, who becomes the social charmer. [Scientists say the one thing that they all have in common is that neither of them ever picks up the tab.]

A compound in marijuana has been shown to speed the mending of broken bones. [Which explains why the hottest new college major is sports rehab.]

Top

---

NEWS & NUGGETS

NORTH KOREAN ELECTIONS ‘ACHIEVE 99.97 PERCENT TURNOUT’ _ North Koreans went to the polls on Sunday for local elections that saw a 99.97% turnout. If that seems like some crazy voter turnout, you’re right. But it’s North Korea. Last year some delegate elections were held and the turnout was 100%.

TRUMP WON’T APOLOGIZE OVER MCCAIN COMMENTS _ Donald Trump is refusing to apologize over comments he made about Senator John McCain. Trump created the stir when he questioned John McCain’s war hero status. Now, many in the Republican party are calling for Trump to drop out of the race. Trump said during an interview: “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, okay, I hate to tell you.” Trump made the comments in response to comments made by John McCain about Trump’s supporters. Senator McCain reportedly called supporters of Trump’s campaign “crazies.” • AUDIO

GAME SHOW WINNER BUYS EVERY STUDENT AT HER SCHOOL NEW SHOES _ An Australian teacher who won $20,000 on a TV game show will buy new shoes for the students at her school. All 200 students will receive a pair of sturdy shoes to get them through the winter.

AUSTRALIAN SURFER FIGHTS OFF SHARK, SURVIVES _ Australian surfer Mick Fanning survived a shark attack, beating back the predator with his fists during a competition in South Africa on Sunday. Fanning was surfing in the finals of the World Surfing League’s J-Bay Open. In the video, the shark appears to circle the surfer, knocking him off his board. Fanning said, “I saw fins. I was waiting for teeth. I punched him in the back.” Video shows the surfer being rescued, apparently uninjured. • VIDEO

FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL _ Former President George H.W. Bush was released from a hospital in Maine on Sunday after last week fracturing a vertebra in his neck. The 91-year-old reportedly fell down at his family’s holiday home in Kennebunkport, Maine, on Wednesday.

RATE OF EMAIL SPAM FALLS TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 2003 _ As hard as it might be to believe, the rate of email spam has fallen to its lowest level in 12 years. The data comes care of Symantec, creators of Norton Security, who reported that, of the messages they filtered last month, only 49.7 percent were classed as spam. Symantec claim that the last time the spam rate was this low was 12 years ago, in September, 2003. The spam rate has fallen by more than 6% since March.

… But it’s not all rosy in the world of computer security — the amount of new malware has seen a big jump. Over 57 million new types of malware were found by the company last month, compared to 44.5 million in May, the highest number since November, 2014.

NEW WORLD RECORD FOR LARGEST ZUMBA DANCE _ Nearly 13,000 people in the Philippines set a new World Record for the largest Zumba dance. The crowd (in Mandaluyong City) broke the existing record of 8,232 participants by more than 4,000 people with 12,975 people filling the streets of the city to dance. • VIDEO

DEZ BRYANT CELEBRATES NEW COWBOYS CONTRACT WITH IO HAWK _ There were any number of purchases Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant could have made to celebrate his fat, $70 million dollar contract extension last week. But instead of going the lavish or outrageous route, it appears Bryant simply bought himself a personal mobility device called an IO Hawk. It’s basically a Segway scooter without the vertical handlebar and with smaller wheels. • VIDEO

LOCH NESS MONSTER COULD BE CATFISH _ A man who has spent 24 years scanning Scotland’s Loch Ness for its legendary mysterious monster believes Nessie is most likely a giant catfish. Steve Feltham says it is the most probable explanation for the mystery beast that has captivated people’s imaginations the world over. The 52-year-olds says his catfish theory is not “the final explanation” but it does tick a lot of boxes.

DANCING GRANNIES DRIVING DOWN REAL ESTATE PRICES _ Dancing grannies in a northeast China province are not only driving away potential buyers from an apartment complex with their nightly exercise, they’re also driving down prices. The price of apartments in five buildings in the city of Harbin reportedly plummeted to around $161 per square meter due to the group’s evening line dancing sessions. A resident said she still cannot find a buyer for her apartment — even after lowering the price.

… The line dancing craze has swept the nation over the past decade, with informal groups of primarily female retirees gathering at dusk and dawn to dance on any spare piece of pavement. Chinese media has estimated that up to 100 million people take part in the activities — known as “square dances,” for the public squares and plazas where many gatherings take place. The loosely associated groups often have a leader who hauls out a boombox blaring pop hits and folk classics. The dancing grannies do it mostly for health reasons.

DOCTORS GRAFT HAND TO MAN’S LEG FOR A MONTH TO KEEP IT ALIVE _ Surgeons in China have restored the use of a hand severed in an industrial accident. But they had to wait a month. The injuries to his arm were so severe that the surgical team believed time has to be allowed for nerves and tendons to heal. To keep the hand alive they grafted it onto a man’s ankle for a month before re-attaching it to his arm.

Top

---

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WAKES HOMEOWNER WITH ODD DEMAND: ‘SMOKE SOME WEED WITH ME’ _ A Michigan man faces prison after police said he broke into a home and forced the resident to smoke marijuana with him at knifepoint. The homeowner told police that he managed to stall the intruder, who eventually set down the knife. That’s when the homeowner grabbed the weapon and fled to a neighbor’s house.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NOTORIOUS 84-YEAR-OLD JEWEL THIEF IS AT IT AGAIN _ Doris Payne is believed to have stolen a $33,000 engagement ring from a store inside an upscale mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. Officers say that Payne uses a sleight of hand trick. It’s something she’s very good at as the 84-year-old is believed to have stolen up to $2 million in jewels over the past 60 years, throughout the world, including Greece, Switzerland, Britain and France.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SUSPECT LEADS POLICE ON SLOW-SPEED SCOOTER CHASE _ A suspected drug dealer tried to evade authorities in Nevada. He was chased down while he was riding a scooter.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HIRE A WITCH TO PROTECT COMPUTERS FROM EVIL SPIRITS AND VIRUSES _ If your computer or phone keeps crashing you might think it’s possessed by an evil demon. It might just be a bug or virus. But if you really think your electronics have been invaded by an spirit, there’s someone who will take your call — Reverend Joey Talley, a Wiccan witch from the San Francisco Bay Area who claims to solve supernatural issues for people. Talley boasts three master’s degrees and over 40 years of experience. Though tech problems are not the only ones Talley tackles, she is routinely called upon to debug people’s tech woes with spiritual energy.

… Talley says: “Most people want me to protect their computers from viruses and hacks. So I’ll make charms for them. I like to use flora.” And when there are problems in office hardware, Talley turns to “Jet,” a black stone that serves to block energy. In extreme cases, she casts protection spells of her own over an entire company.

… Talley says when one tech company’s office alarm would blare at all hours of the day, and no one knew why, they called multiple electricians. When each of them failed to solve the problem, the company called in Talley. She got the spirit out. She charges $200 an hour. • VIDEO

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SMOKING MAN COMPLAINS ABOUT SMOKE _ A man was grilling on his apartment patio in a Chicago suburb when his upstairs neighbor asked him to stop. The man later said that if his neighbor has asked politely, he would have obliged him, but because of the neighbor’s drunken belligerence, he decided to ignore him. Then the upstairs neighbor decided to throw a stool and chair down to the patio below. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the downstairs door. It was the upstairs neighbor, demanding his stool and chair back. Police responded and spoke with the upstairs neighbor. Ironically as the man complained to police about the grill smoke bothering him, he lit up a cigarette.

Top

---

ON TELEVISION

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR (8p ET, NBC) — In this new, 2-hour edition, the top 30 competitors from the Kansas City Qualifier tackle the Kansas City Finals course.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (8p ET, FOX) — The first eliminations take place in this new, 2-hour edition.

THE BACHELORETTE (8p ET, ABC) — In the Men Tell All, the bachelors from this season return to confront Kaitlyn and each other. Plus, see bloopers and a preview of the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise.

2 BROKE GIRLS (8p ET, CBS) — Repeat

PENN AND TELLER: FOOL US (8p ET, CW) — New

MIKE & MOLLY (8:30p ET, CBS) — Repeat

SCORPION (9p ET, CBS) — Repeat

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (9p ET, CW) — This new edition features retired mixed martial artist Randy Couture.

MAJOR CRIMES (9p ET, TNT) — Jon Tenney returns as Fritz in this new episode.

CEDRIC’S BARBER BATTLE (9:30p ET, CW) — New

RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS (10p ET, NBC) — In this new episode, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Bear build a snow cave in the mountains of Italy and rappel down a frozen waterfall.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (10p ET, CBS) — Repeat

THE WHISPERS (10p ET, ABC) — New

UNREAL (10p ET, Lifetime) — New

MURDER IN THE FIRST (10p ET, TNT) — New

Top

---

ENTERTAINMENT

BOX OFFICE: ANT-MAN IS NO. 1 _ Marvel Studios’ box office winning streak rolls on as its newest film, Ant-Man, won out at the box office with $58 million. The next time audiences with see the Ant-Man character will be in the third Captain America movie.

… Minions dropped to second place but still made $50 million. The raunchy romantic comedy Trainwreck debuted in third with $30.2.

MAN FOUND DEAD IN DEMI MOORE’S POOL _ A man was found dead Saturday night in Demi Moore’s swimming pool. Law enforcement sources say a 21-year-old man apparently drowned in the swimming pool and his body was discovered early Sunday morning at the bottom of the pool. TMZ reports there was a party at the house but Demi was not there.

… The man who died did not know how to swim and it appears he slipped and fell in the pool. Police do not suspect foul play and reiterated neither Demi nor her kids were there.

FANTASIA BARRINO IS MARRIED _ Fantasia Barrino and her fiancé Kendall Taylor married Saturday. Fantasia won the third season of American Idol.

PAUL FEIG SHARES GHOSTBUSTERS CHARACTER NAMES _ Who you gonna call? If it’s a ghost, you’ll call Patty, Abby, Erin and Jillian. Over the weekend Ghostbusters director Paul Feig (feeg) revealed the names of his all-female ghost-fighting team: Melissa McCarthy will play Abby Yates, Kristin Wiig is Erin Gilbert, Kate McKinnon is Jillian Holtzmann and Leslie Jones appears as Patty Tolan.

JOSH AND ANNA DUGGAR WELCOME BABY GIRL _ 19 Kids and Countingmay have been canceled, but that doesn’t mean the Duggar family is going to stop growing. Josh Duggar — who admitted to molesting several underage girls, including some of his own sisters, when he was a teen — is now a proud father again. Duggar and his wife Anna welcomed daughter Meredith Grace Duggar. This is the fourth child for Josh and Anna, both 27, who were married in 2008.

… On Thursday, TLC announced that it was canceling 19 Kids and Counting in the wake of the molestation controversy.

ABC TO INTRODUCE AFTER-SHOW FOR BACHELOR IN PARADISE _  ABC will air a live one-hour weekly after-show for its second season of Bachelor in Paradise, which debuts later this summer. After Paradise will be hosted by Chris Harrison, the longtime face of the Bachelor franchise for ABC, and co-host Jenny Mollen. They will discuss and dissect the most recent episodes of Bachelor in Paradise, alongside cast members and celebrity fans. Mollen may be familiar to Bachelor fans from her prolific live tweeting during past seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SURPRISES BAR PATRONS WITH A TWO-HOUR SHOW _ Bruce Springsteen gave bargoers the surprise of a lifetime when he gave an unexpected performance at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on Saturday. Rock band Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers was playing a show at the popular Jersey Shore bar when the 65-year-old singer popped by. Springsteen played a two-hour set, performing 15 songs alongside his longtime friend, according to NJ.com. Springsteen, a Jersey native, regularly plays with Grushecky, of Pittsburgh, at Asbury Park’s annual winter Light of Day benefit, which raises money in hopes to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

ALEX ROCCO, THE GODFATHER ACTOR, DEAD AT AGE 79 _ Alex Rocco, best known for his role as Moe Greene in The Godfather, has died at age 79.

… Alex was born in Boston began his onscreen acting career in the ’60s. He took acting classes taught by Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy. He appeared on shows such as the original Batman series and Get Smart before he starred in The Godfather in 1972.

ADAM SANDLER: RIDICULOUS SIX CONTROVERSY WAS A “MISUNDERSTANDING” _ Adam Sandler says the controversy surrounding his upcoming Netflix movie Ridiculous Six was just a “misunderstanding,” and he wasn’t trying to offend Native Americans. As we heard back in April, several Native American extras walked off the set of Sandler’s movie because they found the script material to be offensive. On Saturday, while walking the red carpet for his new movie Pixels, Sandler told the Associated Press, “It was just a misunderstanding, and once the movie is out it will be cleared up.”

… Netflix came to the comedian’s defense, releasing a statement shortly after the walk-off, saying Ridiculous Six, which takes its name from the classic Western film The Magnificent Seven, was a “satire.” The statement read, “The movie has ridiculous in the title for a reason: because it’s ridiculous. It is a broad satire of Western movies and the stereotypes they popularized, featuring a diverse cast that is not only part of — but in on — the joke.”

MAROON 5 TOUR DATES IN CHINA CANCELED _ Maroon 5 tour dates in China that were scheduled for September 2015 have reportedly been called off. According to various news outlets — including CNN and the BBC — there’s speculation that a tweet may have upset Chinese authorities and led the band to be banned from performing in the country.

… Fans and media are speculating that a post from band member Jesse Carmichael about the Dalai Lama, which has since been deleted, caused Maroon 5 to be prohibited from playing in China. A Twitter update allegedly read: “Happy Birthday America (and The Dalai Lama too) sang happy birthday to his holiness today,” followed by a link to an Instagram photo. Reports say that Carmichael attended a celebration of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s 80th birthday in the Los Angeles area on July 4.

… A number of other musicians — including Linkin Park, Bjork and Oasis — have been restricted from touring in China due to connections with the Dalai Lama, who was exiled in 1959 after a failed uprising against Beijing’s rule.

HAN SOLO PLOTLINE STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS _ The Han Solo plotline for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been revealed — if the recent rumors are to be believed.

While it goes without saying, I’m going to say it: SPOILER ALERT.

… We find Chewbacca had been captured and put into slavery. Han Solo frees the Wookiee and therefore Chewbacca owes Han Solo a life debt. Just before the events of The Force Awakens Han and Chewie are very down and out. Han is older, sadder, bitter, and hangs out in bars all the time. Although Jabba is out of his life, Solo found new men willing to kill him and his life is as complicated as it ever was.

… Another interesting part of the Han Solo plotline is that he has lost his beloved Millennium Falcon, hence the “we’re home” line at the end of the trailer.

LUCASFILM & DISNEY AREN’T TOO FOND OF AMY SCHUMER’S GQ COVER _ You’ve probably seen Amy Schumer’s GQ cover — the one where she’s dressed up in Princess Leia’s bikini and sucking on C-3PO’s finger. Maybe you found it funny. But to Disney and Lucasfilm, the magazine shoot is no laughing matter. After a Twitter user expressed disdain over the use of the Star Wars characters in Schumer’s salacious feature article, the official Star Wars Twitter account responded. Turns out the franchise’s studios weren’t fans of the antics, either: “Lucasfilm & Disney did not approve, participate in or condone the inappropriate use of our characters in this manner.”

… But Mark Hamill seemed to like the issue: “Got excited when I saw @amyschumer @GQMagazine pics & thought she was just cast in Ep 8! We should be so lucky.”

Top

---

BITS & BREAKS

TOP TEN MOVIES

1. Ant-Man, $58 million
2. Minions, $50 million
3. Trainwreck, $30 million
4. Inside Out, $11.6 million
5. Jurassic World, $11.4 million
6. Terminator: Genisys, $5.4 million
7. Magic Mike XXL, $4.5 million
8. The Gallows, $4 million
9. Ted 2, $2.7 million
10. Mr. Holmes, $2.4 million

… One year ago this week the number one movie was Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

… Five years ago this week the number one movie was Inception.

… Ten years ago this week the number one movie was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

… Twenty years ago this week the number one movie was Apollo 13.

IN THEATERS FRIDAY

SOUTHPAW (R)

A boxer fights his way to the top, only to find his life falling apart around him.

• Rachel McAdams, Jake Gyllenhaal, 50 Cent, Forest Whitaker
• Links: website • trailer • reviews

PIXELS (PG-13)

When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games.

• Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Jane Krakowski, Dan Aykroyd
• Links: website • trailer • reviews

PAPER TOWNS (PG-13)

A young man and his friends embark upon the road trip of their lives to find the missing girl next door.

• Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne
• Links: website • trailer • reviews

WEEKLY HOT LIST

Courtesy of morning show talent coach Steve Reynolds. The Hot List is made up of the topics everyone knows about.

1. Donald Trump
2. Summer Vacations
3. Bill Cosby
4. Iran
5. Tiger Woods
6. Amy Schumer
7. Scott Disick
8. Ant-Man
9. Whoopi Goldberg
10. El Chapo
11. 50 Cent
12. 19 Kids and Counting
13. British Open
14. Caitlyn Jenner

THINGS YOU CAN STOP WORRYING ABOUT

Stop worry with a little help from Real Simple magazine.

The Worst That Could Happen If You Eat a Cracked Egg. Most Likely: If you cook the egg thoroughly (to 160 degrees F), nothing will happen, particularly if it cracked after you got it home and you use it immediately. (This is true even if the egg is infected with salmonella.) Worst Case: A cracked egg is more susceptible to contamination than an uncracked one because the environment inside an egg is more bacteria-friendly than the shell is. A healthy adult who eats a bacteria-infected egg that’s not properly cooked will at worst contract food poisoning.

The Worst That Could Happen If You Jaywalk. Most Likely: Your chances of getting ticketed are slim. However, some cities target jaywalkers as a way to raise money, fining each perp as much as $60. Worst Case: A collision. Each year 1,500 people are killed in the United States while improperly crossing the street.

The Worst That Could Happen If You Sneak Food into a Movie. Most Likely: Nothing will happen. Your half-finished bottle of mineral water or bag of homemade brownies won’t get you booted, and you won’t have to fork over a small fortune for concessions. One theater manager said, “Nothing really bothers us unless it’s smelly, alcoholic, or slippery if left on the floor.” Worst Case: Humiliation. An usher may ask you to eat your food outside the theater. Moviegoers who refuse to give up their snacks could be asked to leave, but their money will be refunded.

Worst Thing That Could Happen If you Don’t Match Shoes to Your Handbag. Most Likely: No one will notice if your shoes aren’t the same shade of beige as your purse, but their colors and looks should be complementary, says Stacey Mayesh, a fashion stylist based in New York City. If you’re wearing dressy, high-heel pumps, go with a sleek clutch. Casual weekend loafers call for a breezy canvas carryall. Summery sandals look best with a light-colored tote made from straw, canvas, or nylon, while winter boots pair well with a structured leather handbag. Worst Case: If you’re a celebrity, you’ll wind up on worst-dressed lists. If you’re a regular old civilian, you’ll just look uncoordinated.

The Worst That Could Happen If You Eat a Rare Burger. Most Likely: Contamination is more likely with ground beef than it is with full cuts. However, getting sick from a burger is still fairly uncommon. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were only 90 reported cases of people eating contaminated hamburgers in the United States last year. Worst Case: For most healthy adults, the worst that’s likely to result from eating a rare hamburger is food poisoning. At its most severe, this would result in several days in bed with a stomach illness.

Worst Thing That Could Happen If You Swallow a Piece of Gum. Most Likely: Gum isn’t going to sit in your stomach for seven years — or even seven days. Digestive enzymes in the saliva start breaking it down in your mouth and keep doing so all the way down. Worst Case: As with anything else you swallow, you risk choking.

The Worst that Could Happen if You Leave Wet Clothes in the Washing Machine. Most Likely: Nothing will happen. “You won’t get an odor within 8 to 12 hours,” says Lucinda Ottusch, lead home economist at the Whirlpool Institute of Fabric Science. Worst Case: If it’s very humid, mildew can develop and create an odor or, over a long period, tiny stains in the clothing. Mildew freckles, left untreated, can start rotting the fabric. To get rid of mildew, soak the clothes in warm or hot water (depending on the care instructions) with a cap of detergent.

Top

---

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: This famous journey cost $720 million. (New Horizon’s journey to Pluto)

NEWS QUIZ!

If your only source of news is TMZ, you won’t win…

• An ultramarathoner ran this 2,189 mile trail in record time. (Appalachian Trail)

• NASA’s New Horizons space problem made a successful pass of this planet. (Pluto)

• After receiving a threat from drug kingpin El Chapo, this presidential candidate called the FBI. (Donald Trump)

• Claiming it would rival Black Friday, this retailer held something called Prime Day. (Amazon.com)

• A woman who wanted to become famous on Instagram instead went to the hospital after these implants explodes while doing squats. (Butt)

• Amid controversy, the 2015 ESPYs gave this person the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. (Cailyn Jenner)

• Researchers at Oregon State announced a new strain of seaweed that tastes like what? (Bacon)

Top

---

JOKE OF THE DAY

A guy calls his friend, “Hey, are you visiting us tomorrow? Do you need directions?” The friend tells him, “We’re all set. I have the address, a GPS, and a GPS override.” The guy says, “What’s a GPS override?” And his friend replies, “My wife.”

Top

---

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Drone gun.

Top

---

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Little help… I’m stuck!

Top

---

LAST MINUTE ITEMS

• What speed do you read?

• Your radio station videos are too long.

• How big is space?

• Justin Watkins took his drone out for a pleasant ride — and it caught a tornado in Kansas.

• Use your mouse to play with the text.

• The real value of $100 in each state.

• Emojipedia

• Dad gets owned by daughter in beatboxing battle.

• Google Sheep View

• Most Exclusive Website. One visitor at a time, every sixty seconds.

• If you favorite tweets for the show and find it a hassle to go back and unfavorite them, try Unfavinator.

• Mac users: get the fantastic Forecast Bar.

Top

---

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: JULY 20, 2015

• 1959: FARON YOUNG’s Country Girl charted. It would go on to hit No. 1.

• 1992: BILLY RAY CYRUS’ album Some Gave All was certified gold, platinum and double platinum. Hits included Achy Breaky Heart, Could’ve Been Me and She’s Not Crying Anymore.

• 1996: LEANN RIMES’ first album, Blue, debuted at number one on the Country Albums chart and No. 4 on the Top 200 all formats chart.

• 2002: KENNY CHESNEY topped the Billboard Country Singles Chart with The Good Stuff.

• 2004: JIMMY BUFFETT’s album License To Chill, which included guest appearances by GEORGE STRAIT, MARTINA MCBRIDE, KENNY CHESNEY and others, debuted at the top of both the Country Albums chart and the Top 200 all formats chart after selling more than 240,000 copies.

• 2007: BRAD PAISLEY’s album Fifth Gear spent its fourth consecutive week at the top of the Country Albums chart, making it the first country collection to do so since TOBY KEITH’s Honkytonk University did it in the early summer of 2005.

• 2012: RASCAL FLATTS member Jay DeMarcus and wife Allison welcome a son, Dylan Jay DeMarcus.

T.G. SHEPPARD is 71. Born William Neal Browder, T.G. scored over 30 hits on the country singles chart from 1974-1989.

RADNEY FOSTER is 56. He had a brief solo career in the early ’90s and was one half of the duo FOSTER & LLOYD. He has penned tunes for THE KINLEYS and the DIXIE CHICKS.

Top

---

COUNTRY AUDIO

Visit the country audio archive for over 2,000 audio cuts.

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE on their wide range of fans. » download page

Top

---

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

LUKE BRYAN’s got a new app coming this Friday (July 24). The app is designed to give fans in-the-moment experiences with the singer as well as commentary and interviews. The subscription-based app is $1.99 a month and will be available in the App Store and Google Play.

TOBY KEITH will release his new album, 35 MPH Town, October 9.

When times are tough, sisters Mallory and Madison always sing LADY ANTEBELLUM’s hit Compass to help them get through. Unfortunately, there’s been quite a few of those tough times lately. Three-year-old Mallory recently underwent a heart transplant. Thankfully it was a success, and she is now a happy and healthy toddler. When Mallory and Madison found out the trio was bringing their Wheels Up Tour to Atlanta, they had one wish — to sing on stage with Lady A. And it happened. When Lady A’s tour visited Atlanta on Saturday, the group invited Mallory and Madison on stage to fulfill their wish. In matching cowboy boots, the sisters joined the band on the stage for what will surely be a moment they will never forget.

On September 11 LEE BRICE will kick off a headlining tour in Phoenix.

ROSANNE CASH and songwriter CRAIG WISEMAN (TIM MCGRAW’s Live Like You Were Dying) will be inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame this October.

RESTLESS HEART, singer/songwriter BECKY HOBBS, music exec and producer TIM DUBOIS and Smiley Weaver will be inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame this fall. The induction ceremony is set for October 16 in Muskogee.

DON HENLEY will release a country album, Cass County, September 25. The project will include collaborations with MERLE HAGGARD, DOLLY PARTON, MIRANDA LAMBERT, ALISON KRAUSS and MARTINA MCBRIDE. He will support the project with a tour beginning in October.

… You can hear a couple of Cass County’s songs now: Take a Picture of This and That Old Flame (with Martina McBride)

… Cass County is named for the northeastern Texas county where Don was born.

JOHN ANDERSON will perform an acoustic concert July 29 aboard the General Jackson showboat near Nashville. The concert will be the first in a series dubbed Country On The Cumberland and will include dinner and a cruise up the Cumberland River.

The CMA Songwriters series will return to Joe’s Pub in Chicago, July 30. Performing will be BRETT JAMES, JIM COLLINS and LEE THOMAS MILLER.

SUZY BOGGUSS, MATRACA BERG and songwriter GRETCHEN PETERS (MARTINA MCBRIDE’s Independence Day) will headline the 2015 Wine, Women & Song event at Nashville’s The Listening Room, July 23. Singer/songwriter LORI MCKENNA (LITTLE BIG TOWN’s Girl Crush and HUNTER HAYES’ I Want Crazy) will open the show with an acoustic set. Proceeds will benefit Music & Memory, an organization dedicated to providing digital music to those suffering from Alzheimer’s, dementia and other cognitive or physical challenges. The organization is also asking for old iPads, iPhones and iTunes gift cards as donations. The products will be wiped clean and used to help provide music to those in challenging circumstances.

HUNTER HAYES is not dead. If you search “hunter hayes birthday” on Yahoo you get “Hunter Hayes Born September 9, 1991 (died at the age of 23).”