INTERPREP ★ DECEMBER 20, 2017

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Audio • Bits & Breaks • Country Prep • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • Image • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Video • Wacky-But-True • USER’S GUIDE

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 20, 2017

This is day 354 of 2017. There are 11 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Former Kiss drummer Peter Criss is 72

• TV producer Dick Wolf (Law & Order franchise) is 71

• Michael Badalucco (The Practice) is 63

• Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street, Moneyball) is 34

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1606: The Virginia Company loaded three ships with settlers and set sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas

• 1860: South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States.

• 1879: Thomas Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, New Jersey.

• 1946: The Frank Capra film “It’s A Wonderful Life” had a preview showing for charity at New York City’s Globe Theatre, a day before its official premiere.

• 1989: The United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega.

• 1996: American astronomer and Astrophysicist Carl Edward Sagan dies at age 62.

• 1998: A 15-pound concrete garden frog was returned to its home in Swansea, Massachusetts, after a seven-month vacation. The owners had received a letter, saying the frog just needed to get away from the grind of garden life, but would be home for the holidays. They also received photos and postcards from the frog in New York, Venezuela, Venice, and Indonesia.

• 2002: Ted Williams’ eldest daughter, Bobby-Jo, dropped her objections to her siblings’ decision to have the Hall of Famer’s body frozen at a cryonics lab in Arizona.

• 2007: Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Games Day

• Sangria Day

• Go Caroling Day

UPCOMING

• December 21: First day of winter
• December 23: Festivus
• December 24: Christmas Eve
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 26: Kwanzaa
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 1: Supermoon: the first of 2018
• January 6: NFL Playoffs begin
• January 8: College football championship
• January 13: NFL Divisional Playoffs begin
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 30: State of the Union
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 2: Groundhog Day
• February 4: Super Bowl 52
• February 8: New York Fashion Week begins
• February 9: Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
• February 13: Mardi Gras
• February 14: Valentine’s Day
• February 16: Chinese New Year – Year of the Dog
• February 19: President’s Day

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

71: The percentage of us who express the sentiment of the season by saying “Merry Christmas.”

NEWS ATTACK!

Disney World’s Hall of Presidents reopened Tuesday with its new animatronic Donald Trump. [It took a little longer to get ready because they had to figure out how to program the robot to awkwardly take a drink from a water bottle.]

Climate change has forced America’s Winter Olympians to fly to other parts of the world to train. [Provided, of course, that the airport has electricity.]

The British aircraft carrier named after Queen Elizabeth has sprung a leak. [It’s rather embarrassing, but everyone knows that sort of thing is pretty common in a person her age.]

A former U.S. Navy squadron commander says he once had an encounter with a UFO that resembled a Tic Tac. [He wasn’t sure which flavor.]

In Oregon a teacher at a Christian school was caught by her husband in bed with one of her underage students. [I guess that in her classroom they hadn’t covered that particular commandment yet.]

Once again the top passwords of the year are 123456 and Password. [My vote would have been for MeSoLazy.]

After the success of the revived Will and Grace, NBC wants to revive the sitcom The Office. [Is any dead show actually dead anymore? They’re all the walking dead.]

Scientists say they have evidence that a volcano is forming beneath New England. [Sports fans plan to set it off in celebration if the Patriots win another Super Bowl.]

A Tennessee woman gave birth to a baby who was a frozen embryo for the past 24 years. [The baby’s healthy. But she does keep crying out for more blankets.]

A Tennessee woman gave birth to a baby who was a frozen embryo for the past 24 years. [My mother swears that’s how long she was in labor.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

156 MILLION AMERICANS PLAN TO SHOP ON SUPER SATURDAY _ The biggest shopping day of the holiday season is approaching, with 66 percent of adult Americans — an estimated 155.7 million people – planning to or considering taking advantage of Super Saturday sales to complete their holiday gift list.

… Super Saturday — or Panic Saturday — is the last Saturday before Christmas, a major day of revenue for American retailers, marking the end of the shopping season they and many customers believe begins on Black Friday. Super Saturday targets last-minute shoppers.

NEW STREET IN CHARLOTTESVILLE: HEATHER HEYER WAY _ Just over four months after a young Charlottesville woman was killed when a car plowed into people protesting a white nationalist rally, the Virginia city will dedicate part of the street where she was marching in her honor. Charlottesville is holding a ceremony this morning (Wednesday) to designate part of 4th Street “Honorary Heather Heyer Way.”

DOG OWNER WITNESSES ALLEGED ABUSE ON DOGGIE DAYCARE WEBCAM _ It’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare: entrusting your fur baby to the care of supposed professionals only to shockingly discover you’ve been sorely mistaken. Adding insult to injury? Seeing this hard truth with your own eyes when you’re thousands of miles away and unable to immediately rescue your beloved animal. This is the scenario Mike La Salvia of Tallmadge, Ohio, found himself and his pup Leo in. While La Salvia was vacationing in Mexico earlier this month he alleges he checked the doggie daycare’s webcam and witnessed one of the staff members drag Leo by the collar and kick him twice. The distraught dog owner says he abruptly cut short his trip and then spent 48 hours in various airports trying to make his way home last-minute to his pup in Ohio. He said his feelings upon viewing the webcam footage were “total pain.” While La Salvia was en route home to Leo, his sister quickly removed Leo from the day care center and watched him until her brother returned. The woman who allegedly abused Leo did not respond to a request for comment. La Salvia says he plans to file a police report against her.

POLICE ACCIDENTALLY BROADCAST ARREST PLANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA _ Australian police accidentally broadcast on social media the details of an operation to arrest a suspected North Korean agent — three days before he was taken into custody. The man, described by the authorities as a “loyal agent of North Korea”, was arrested on Saturday and charged with trying to sell missile parts and technology on the black market to raise money for Pyongyang in breach of international sanctions. But a minute of conversation about the case between federal police officers, including the timing of the arrest, was broadcast on Periscope and linked to on Twitter. While the tweet was deleted, the broadcast remained live — and was watched by 40 people — before it was also removed. It was only by luck that no details of the identity of the target were revealed.

COUPLE FINDS LOVE AFTER 8 DECADES _ Ann Hoover and Allen Seelhammer, both residents at the Brookdale Senior Living Center in Texas (New Braunfels) were both married until their spouses passed away. 78-year-old Allen was married for 57 years and 87-year-old Ann was wed for 23. But it seems like they were both given a second chance to love when Ann moved into the senior living center almost two months ago. Ann and Allen reportedly fell in love when she started hanging out with him during mealtimes and events. The spark grew, and just 30 days later, they announced that they were getting married. The whirlwind romance made Allen say, “I’ve never been so happy in my life.” Ann adds her take on her new beau, saying, “I’ve got a cute little fella who I’m crazy about and he acts like he likes me, too.”

KITTEN RESCUED FROM INSIDE HOME’S BATHROOM WALL _ A Russian homeowner decided it would be a good idea to put a hole in the wall of his bathroom. The man’s wife wasn’t too happy about it — till she learned his reason: a kitten. It’s not known how the kitten managed to become trapped inside the wall, but the man said he was alerted to its presence when it started peering out through cracks and mewing. • VIDEO

SWEDISH FATHERS TOLD TO TAKE FIVE MONTHS PARENTAL LEAVE _ Swedish fathers have been told to take five months off work after a government investigation suggested increasing the country’s parental allowance to encourage fairer sharing of leave between men and women. Sweden currently offers 480 days of subsidized leave per child, which parents can share as they wish, with 390 paid for by the taxpayer at a rate of about 80 percent of their salary. At least three months of that leave is allocated to each parent on a “use it or lose it” basis. A government report has recommended that the allowance be boosted to five months, to increase gender equality in time off for childcare.

… Sweden has some of the most generous parental policies in Europe and in 1971 became the first country in the world to allow parents to split leave.

FACEBOOK REVEALS PLAN TO ALERT USERS WHEN SOMEONE UPLOADS A PIC OF THEM _ Facebook has announced a plan to alert users when someone uploads photos of them to Facebook. Facebook says the feature will “help you detect when others might be attempting to use your image as their profile picture”. The social media giant said the new feature is optional — users will only receive alerts if they opt-in and if they are in the friend network of the person who posted the photos.

RETIRING EARLY COULD KILL YOU — ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A MAN _ People who retire early die sooner than those who keep working past 65. US Census data reveal a clear correlation between premature death and premature retirement. The data, analyzed by Cornell University, is particularly stark among men, who have a 20 percent higher mortality risk if they start claiming Social Security benefits at 62 — three years premature.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: DOCTORS SAY PARENTING AND POT SMOKING DON’T MIX _ With more states legalizing recreational marijuana, parents are facing the question of whether they should smoke pot around their children. A new study says don’t do it. The research shows children absorb chemicals from secondhand marijuana smoke. Dr. David Beuther (National Jewish Health in Denver) says secondhand marijuana smoke or vapor could put children at risk for problems like increased risk of viral infections, asthma and other respiratory illnesses. It could even increase the risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease and stroke later in life.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK DRIVER SHOWED UP AT P.D. TO PICK UP DRUNK DRIVER _ A Wisconsin man arrested for DUI was told by police (in Brown Deer) they must call someone responsible to pick them up. As it turned out, the man who showed up was also in no condition to be behind the wheel of a vehicle.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: A KID GOT CAUGHT IN A CLAW MACHINE _ It’s been awhile, but 2017 will not come to a close without at least one more kid getting caught in a claw machine game. A woman in Omaha, Nebraska (Macy Hollingsed) shared a video of her little cousin stuck in the machine. In a tweet, she said, “Y’all. My cousin’s kid climbed up the claw machine at our family Christmas and we had to call 911.” The tweet contained a video showing a young boy, clearly terrified, trapped inside a traditional claw machine. Two women can be heard attempting to soothe him. • VIDEO

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRIVER BAFFLED AFTER RECEIVING NEW LICENSE IN THE MAIL _ A driver in Australia was surprised to receive a brand new driver’s license in the mail the other day — almost two years before it was due to be renewed. But that wasn’t the most shocking thing about the tiny plastic card. Anthony Kilsby was confused because the license, bearing his information, had a photograph of someone else — and she was a woman. He tweeted a photo of the license and pointed out that he was not an Asian woman but a 36-year-old male with dreadlocks. A spokesman with Australia’s Registration and Licensing says the woman’s photo on his license was a “processing error”.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FAKE MARSHAL TRIED TOO MANY TIMES FOR FREE LUNCH _ After hearing that some restaurants give free food to police, a New Mexico man got a fake badge and went to an Italian restaurant for lunch. Since the badge looked to the cashier like a real deputy US marshal’s shield, the guy got his pizza for free. His mistake was going back to the same restaurant for dinner. The manager asked to see the badge a little bit closer and realized that the man wasn’t an actual US Marshal. The manager called the real cops.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER’S TRUCK KEYS ARE TAKEN, SO HE WAITS FOR POLICE _ In Kentucky, a man attempted to rob a mobile home by forcing his way through the front door. Once inside, he was confronted by the homeowner, who began wrestling with the robber. Seeing the error of his ways, the robber made a hasty retreat for his vehicle, only to find that the homeowner’s girlfriend had gone to the car during the fight and had taken the keys from the ignition. Seeing that he was in more trouble than he could handle, the robber simply got inside his car and waited for police to arrive.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GRANDMOTHER AND 12-YEAR-OLD THROW FORKS _ In California, a woman called police to report a fight between her grandmother and her 12-year-old son. The grandmother allegedly swung a guitar at the juvenile, then both the grandmother and the juvenile started throwing forks. A deputy mediated the situation.

ON TELEVISION

SEASON FINALE: SURVIVOR (8p ET, CBS) — The 2-hour finale is followed by the Reunion Show at 10p ET.

THE GOLDBERGS (8p ET, ABC) — Repeat

WILL & GRACE (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat

EMPIRE (8p ET, FOX) — Repeat

GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER (8p ET, CW) — Holiday special

THE LIBRARIANS (8p ET, TNT) — Two new episodes

SPEECHLESS (8:30p ET, ABC) — Repeat

PITCH PERFECT (8:30p ET, NBC) — Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, and Anna Camp star in this 2012 hit film.

MODERN FAMILY (9p ET, ABC) — Repeat

STAR (9p ET, FOX) — Repeat

THE TOP 12 GREATEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES OF ALL TIME (9p ET, CW) — Dean Cain counts down holiday films in this repeat.

AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE (9:30p ET, ABC) — Repeat

MATCH GAME (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

ENTERTAINMENT

IN THEATERS TODAY _ Between today and Christmas day six movies are opening wide across the country. These two open today.

• The Greatest Showman (PG) – Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. Hugh Jackman, Zendaya, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson

• Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (PG-13) – Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game’s jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they chose. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas

LAST JEDI DIRECTOR DESCRIBES MASSIVE DELETED SCENE, PROMISES A RELEASE _ The Last Jedi was already the longest Star Wars movie, but there were still plenty of scenes that didn’t make the final edit. Unlike Rogue One’s many, many deleted and alternate scenes, though, fans will be able to watch the parts Rian Johnson cut out of Episode 8 when the movie eventually hits Blu-ray. Johnson confirms that nearly all of the deleted scenes — a little more than 20 minutes worth of footage — would be included on the Blu-ray.

… The biggest cut scene, which Johnson described as “massive,” appears to be an additional bit of Luke Skywalker training Rey. The director described it as “an additional sort of trial/test that she goes through, that involves her and Mark, and then a big emotional scene between the two of them. I mean, it’s big stuff, it’s like actual real scenes.”

… The other major missing bit of the movie followed Finn and Rose and DJ on their stealth mission aboard the Mega Destroyer.

T.J. MILLER ACCUSED OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ASSAULT _ A woman has accused comedian and former Silicon Valley star T.J. Miller of physical and sexual assault. Speaking under the condition of anonymity, the woman said Miller punched, choked, and sexually assaulted her while he was a student at George Washington University, where both participated in a campus comedy troupe called receSs. She told the Daily Beast that she chose to come forward now because of the recent widespread airing of sexual assault and harassment allegations in the entertainment industry.

… The Daily Beast spoke to several peers and associates of both the woman and Miller to corroborate the details of her story. Two George Washington University contemporaries said they were in the house where the two separate incidents allegedly took place and later testified in student court about hearing violent thuds and seeing bruises on the woman.

… Miller has denied the claims and said in a statement, “It is unfortunate that she is choosing this route as it undermines the important movement to make women feel safe coming forward about legitimate claims against real known predators.”

… HBO is keeping it simple in its response to the sexual misconduct accusations against the former Silicon Valley: “There were no reports of sexual misconduct during T.J. Miller’s time working at HBO.”

DAPHNE FROM ‘SCOOBY-DOO’ DEAD AT 71 _ Heather North — the long-running voice of Daphne Blake in the classic cartoon Scooby-Doo has died. The actress passed away late last month after a long illness. Heather first voiced the famous character in the second season’s premiere in 1970. She went on to voice Daphne all the way through 2003. She was 71.

LADY GAGA ANNOUNCES LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY _ Lady Gaga announced Tuesday that she’s set to headline her very own residency in Las Vegas at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino’s Park Theater. She’ll begin her two-year run in December 2018. Specific performance dates and ticket information for Lady Gaga’s residency will be announced in the coming months.

EVA LONGORIA EXPECTING FIRST CHILD _ Eva Longoria is pregnant with a baby boy. The former Desperate Housewives star, age 42, is expecting her first child with husband José Antonio “Pepe” Bastón. She is four months along with a son. Bastón is president of Televisa, the largest media company in Latin America.

MINDY KALING WELCOMES HER FIRST CHILD _ Mindy Kaling is a mom. The 38-year-old star of The Mindy Project and Ocean’s 8 welcomed her first child, a baby girl, on December 15. Mindy has named her daughter Katherine. She has not revealed the identity of her baby’s father.

NEW TRAILER: OCEAN’S 8 _ The heist-thriller franchise George Clooney started with Ocean’s Eleven in 2001 gets a new face with Ocean’s 8, and on Tuesday we got to see the trailer. Sandra Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, the freshly paroled sister of Danny Ocean, Clooney’s thief from the earlier films. Continuing in the family business, she assembles a team of criminals to steal a necklace worth more than $100 million from a celebrity (Anne Hathaway) at the annual Met Gala in New York City. • VIDEO

NEW TRAILER: SICARIO 2 _ Sony’s released the first trailer for Sicario 2: Soldado, with Benicio Del Toro returning as an undercover operative and Josh Brolin back as a CIA agent. The pair, who starred with Emily Blunt in 2015’s Sicario, finds themselves back in the middle of the violent war against drugs along the United States-Mexico border. With the drug cartels now smuggling terrorists across the U.S. border, they decide to pit the cartels against each other. Sicario 2: Soldado opens on June 29. • VIDEO

NEW TRAILER: THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS _ Disney just released the first trailer for The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, an upcoming fantasy film that’s based E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The film stars Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Misty Copeland, Jack Whitehall, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman, and comes to theaters in November of 2018. • VIDEO

JOHN LEGEND TO STAR IN JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE IN CONCERT _ John Legend has been signed for the title role in NBC’s live staging of Jesus Christ Superstar, set for Easter Sunday. NBC announced in May that its latest live musical will debut on April 1. Rocker Alice Cooper has been cast as King Herrod.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN’S WIFE SET FOR A HUGE PAYOUT _ After Harvey Weinstein was accused by dozens of women of sexual assault, rape, and a variety of other heinous activity, Georgina Chapman left him. Now that the estranged couple has hit a major milestone in their marriage, she’ll get a lot more money for divorcing him. Georgina and Harvey signed a prenup back in 2007, the year that they were married. While they certainly weren’t celebrating, their marriage hit the ten-year mark last Friday. That means that the amount of money Georgina could walk away with after the divorce has increased substantially. TMZ reported that Georgina is looking to walk away from her marriage to Harvey Weinstein with almost $12 million. Prior to hitting the 10-year mark in her marriage, Georgina would have been paid out $300,000 for each year they were married. Once she crossed over that decade threshold, the payment went up to $400,000 per year of their marriage. That’s a $1 million bump just for sticking around for a total of $4 million. On top of the spousal support payout. the Harvey Weinstein prenup also has provisions for marital assets. What Chapman would walk away with in that regard also hinged on sticking around for at least 10 years. For the first five years of her marriage to Weinstein, Georgina will be paid $250,000 per year. After that, she gets $700,000 per year. That is another $4.75 million that she’ll be walking away with.

MARGOT ROBBIE FOUND A SEVERED HUMAN FOOT ON THE BEACH _ Bryan Cranston, Armie Hammer, Diane Kruger, Robert Pattinson, Margot Robbie and Octavia Spencer recently sat down for The Hollywood Reporter’s inaugural movie star summit, where the actors discussed everything from dealing with moody co-stars to researching their roles — but it was Robbie’s startling story that left a lasting impression. Robbie said when a director once asked everyone to share their craziest story, hers was: “I once found a human foot on the beach in Nicaragua.” Robbie, who visited Nicaragua in 2014, didn’t say what she did after finding the lost limb.

TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2017, ACCORDING TO EVERYONE _ It’s December, which means Best of 2017 lists are here. With so many lists out there, who has time to read all of them? Digg.com rounded up all the Top 10 TV Shows of 2017 lists and smashed ’em together.

The Young Pope — HBO
The Deuce — HBO
Halt and Catch Fire — AMC
Insecure — HBO
The Handmaid’s Tale — Hulu
Big Little Lies — HBO
Better Things — FX
The Good Place — NBC
Twin Peaks: The Return — Showtime
The Leftovers — HBO

50 BEST ACTION MOVIES OF ALL TIME _ Today’s release of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle marks yet another action movie projected to do well with audiences. To commemorate, 24/7 Wall Street compiled a list of the 50 Best Action Movies of All Time.

Inception
Aliens
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
The General
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
North by Northwest
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Dark Knight
Sherlock Jr.

TOP TV SHOWS _ Week of December 11-17.

NFL Football: Dallas at Oakland, NBC, 19.19 million
60 Minutes, CBS, 14.42 million
The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 13.74 million
Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC, 13.31 million
NCIS, CBS, 12.58 million
NFL Football: New England at Miami, ESPN, 11.85 million
Young Sheldon, CBS, 11.64 million
Bull, CBS, 10.87 million
NFL Football: Denver at Indianapolis, NBC, 10.64 million
The Voice (Monday), NBC, 10.45 million
Football Night in America, Part 3, NBC, 9.82.
The Voice (Tuesday), NBC, 9.77 million
Survivor, CBS, 8.75 million
Mom, CBS, 8.65 million
Hawaii Five-0 (Friday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 8.48 million
NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 8.21 million
Hawaii Five-0 (Friday, 10 p.m.), CBS, 7.71 million
NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 7.21 million
Gwen Stefani Christmas, NBC, 7.15 million
NFL Football: San Diego at Kansas City, NFL Network, 6.99 million

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.

• 911: Kid in Mississippi calls because Grinch might steal Christmas. The Grinch isn’t about to screw up the holidays for a 5-year-old kid in Mississippi — who had the presence of mind to call 911 and report the possible heist. Little TyLon Pittman dialed 911 over the weekend. TyLon informed police he’d caught wind some guy named Grinch was trying to steal everyone’s Christmas. Cops did respond to Tylon’s house, and reassured him they’d keep the Grinch dude at bay. EDITED FOR QUALITY AND TIME.

• THE OFFICE THEME: NBC’s working on a continuation season of the show.

• PHONER: Stuff your spouse leaves laying around. It’s easy to get on the topic of stuff your spouse (or studio co-host) leaves laying around. → 2 real callers

INTERPREP PROSHARE

More prep in the Facebook Group.

BITS & BREAKS

PHONER PHUN

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What was the cute way your kid mangled the English language — and then it became a family catch phrase. You know, jacketbumble for any kind of bee, don-don for McDonalds, firefruck and fractor for firetruck and tractor.

THE 3 GROSSEST PLACES IN YOUR CAR

Some researchers poked around a bunch of cars and found that they’re, uh, gross. These are the worst spots…

• The cup and change holders. They get touched a lot, spreading bacteria with every finger swipe. And they’re often damp from spilled drinks, making them Petri dishes, swimming with bacteria.

• The dashboard. You may not touch it much. But since the sun shines directly on it, it’s the warmest spot in the car – and germs love warmth. Even worse, the vents draw the bacteria-filled dust into your air conditioning system, circulating germs everywhere.

• Anywhere you’ve spilled food. A few donut crumbs and loose French fries may seem harmless, but food stains contain 10 times more bacteria than any other surface inside your vehicle.

THINGS NOT TO DO ON A FIRST DATE

Askmen.com asked women the things men should not do on a first date.

NETFLIX AND CHILL — It’s so boring to have a date want to do exactly the same thing that I’d be doing if I weren’t on a date right now. If you’re interested in Netflix and chilling, I’m going to assume that you’re saving the date nights for your real girlfriend.

SAY, “I GOOGLED YOU” — Well, since you already know everything about me, I guess there’s no point of being on this date, amirite?

SHOW UP LATE — I’m probably going to be fifteen minutes late, but if you’re late, I’m going to think it’s rude. Double standards? Definitely, but a gentleman is always on time.

START THE DATE RIGHT AFTER YOUR LAST DATE IS LEAVING — I’ve actually had this happen to me. Twice.

RUDE TO THE WAITSTAFF — They say that how someone treats a neutral third party is going to be the way that they’ll treat you in six months. It’s a warning sign for a potentially abusive relationship, so if you’re rude to people, I’m out.

SAY, “I WISH YOU WEREN’T VEGAN” — Yeah, okay; I wish you weren’t an ignorant slob, but here we are.

KISSING — Do not assume that we’re going to be spending the night making out. I haven’t kissed on a first date in years, and I don’t intend to start now — unless there’s something really special about you.

DRESS LIKE A SLOB — Please don’t wear sweats to dinner. If I got all dressed up and you show up in sweatpants, I’m going to think that this date wasn’t very important to you.

GO ON AN ENDLESS POLITICAL RANT — I also don’t want to talk about religion or finances with you, unless you’re a pastor/rabbi/medicine man or a stockbroker.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Seven of these have originated in Ohio. (U.S. Presidents. Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley, Taft and Harding were all born in Ohio.)

TRIVIA: On average, this household item gets replaced every 6½ years. (Toilet seat)

WHAT’S THE CHRISTMAS SONG TITLE?

I’ll describe a Christmas song. You tell me the title of the song.

Apply ornamental decorative items to the house’s connective passage ways. (Deck The Halls)

To make clinking or tinkling sounds, using hollow objects, typically made of metal and having the shape of a deep inverted cup widening at the lip, that sounds a clear musical note when struck, typically by means of a clapper inside. (Jingle Bells)

My parent’s mother was involved in an unexpected trampling incident with an antlered creature. (Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer)

I witnessed with my own eyes my mother engaged in an embrace with an overweight bearded man in a red snow suit. (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)

Hollow objects, typically made of metal and having the shape of a deep inverted cup widening at the lip, that sounds a clear musical note when struck, typically by means of a clapper inside made from a white, ductile metallic element with the atomic symbol of Ag. (Silver Bells)

A complete absence of sound during the time from sunset to sunrise. (Silent Night)

A period of one and 5/7th weeks revolving around the winter holiday celebrated on the 25th day of December. (The Twelve Days Of Christmas)

It is our sincerest desire for you to experience a December 25th full of cheerfulness and gaiety. (We Wish You A Merry Christmas)

The only thing I desire to acquire on the 25th day of December is a pair of processes attached to the forward section my jaw serving for the prehension and mastication of food. (All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Russian truck loses a load of metal pipes.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Canadian winter workout.

source: Facebook

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 21, 2017

This is day 355 of 2017. There are 10 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Phil Donahue is 82

• Jane Fonda is 80

• Samuel L. Jackson is 69

• Tennis Hall of Fame member Chris Evert is 63

• Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) is 62

• Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) is 60

• Andy Dick is 52

• Kiefer Sutherland (Designated Survivor, 24) is 51. His full name is Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland.

• Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) is 34

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1913: Arthur Wynne’s “word-cross,” the first crossword puzzle, was published in the New York World.

• 1937: The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles.

• 1968: Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

• 1970: Elvis Presley met with President Richard Nixon to discuss the war on drugs.

• 1993: TV Guide reported that early Gilligan’s Island press releases gave Gilligan’s first name as “Willy.” The name never was used on the TV show.

• 2003: A man who wanted to share his stock market winnings with the public tossed $9,350 in small bills from the observation deck of a tower in Nagoya, Japan, causing a scramble for the money in the streets below. The man told police he had too much money, didn’t need it, and wanted to give some back to the world.

• 2008: An Argentine soccer player killed a pigeon with a single shot — right off his foot. Gaston Aguirre hit the bird when he kicked the ball toward the goal and in the direction of a group of pigeons on the grass near the corner. A burst of feathers followed and the pigeons flew away — except one. Several players surrounded the wounded bird as it tried to fly away but it collapsed. A referee scooped up the dead pigeon and placed it off the field.

• 2012: Scientists studying the Sutter’s Mill meteorite, found near the Sutter’s Mill California Gold Rush site, determined it contained the oldest material in the Solar System.

• 2012: Gangnam Style became the first video to reach one billion views on YouTube.

• 2013: A series of spacewalks were made by two NASA astronauts in an effort to fix a faulty coolant pump on the International Space Station.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Winter begins today at 11:28AM ET

• Crossword Puzzle Day

• National Flashlight Day (shortest day of the year)

• Short Girl Appreciation Day

• Fried Shrimp Day

UPCOMING

• December 23: Festivus
• December 24: Christmas Eve
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 26: Kwanzaa
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 1: Supermoon: the first of 2018
• January 6: NFL Playoffs begin
• January 8: College football championship
• January 13: NFL Divisional Playoffs begin
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 30: State of the Union
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 2: Groundhog Day
• February 4: Super Bowl 52
• February 8: New York Fashion Week begins
• February 9: Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
• February 13: Mardi Gras
• February 14: Valentine’s Day
• February 16: Chinese New Year – Year of the Dog
• February 19: President’s Day