INTERPREP ★ JANUARY 15, 2018
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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: JANUARY 15, 2018
This is day 15 of 2018. There are 350 days remaining.
BIRTHDAYS
• Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 61
• Lisa Lisa of Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam is 51
• Chad Lowe is 50
• Regina King is 47
• Eddie Cahill (Conviction, CSI: New York) is 40
• Rapper Pitbull is 37
• Electronic dance musician Skrillex is 30
IT HAPPENED TODAY
• 1844: The University of Notre Dame received its charter from the state of Indiana.
• 1889: The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, was originally incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 1892: James Naismith published the rules for basketball.
• 1967: In the first ever Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. Tickets to the first Super Bowl ranged from $6 to $12.
• 1974: Happy Days premiered on ABC-TV.
• 1991: The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expired, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.
• 1998: One of Britain’s most famous fugitives, a runaway pig named Butch Cassidy, was captured eight days after escaping with his buddy, the Sundance Pig, from a London slaughterhouse and swimming an icy river to freedom. After live TV coverage of the capture, the slaughterhouse owner agreed to spare the lives of the new hog heroes. The Sundance Pig, however, remained at large.
• 2001: Wikipedia went online.
• 2009: The Miracle on the Hudson. US Airways flight 1549 made an emergency landing on New York’s Hudson River. No one was injured.
• 2011 Wikipedia turned ten.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Healthy Weight Week
• No Name Calling Week
• Sugar Awareness Week
• Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day
• Humanitarian Day
• National Day of Service
• Hat Day
• Strawberry Ice Cream Day
UPCOMING
• January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• January 21: Screen Actors Guild Awards
• 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
• March 4: Academy Awards
• March 8: International Women’s Day
• March 9: SXSW begins
• March 11: Daylight Saving Time begins
• March 13: March Madness begins
• April 1: Easter
• May 19: The royal wedding
NUMBER FOR THE DAY
48: Pigs used in the filming of the 1995 hit movie Babe. Because baby pigs grow so fast, 48 were used in the title role.
NEWS ATTACK!
Singer-songwriter John Fogerty is upset that the title of his classic song, Proud Mary, is being used as the title for a movie about a professional assassin. [It could be worse. It could have been used for that movie about Tonya Harding.]
A UK surgeon who burned his initials onto patients’ livers has been spared jail time. [He’ll spend his community service helping orphans on a ranch brand cattle.]
Parts of the country are being hit by Winter Storm Hunter. [Which is also the name of Donald Trump’s second favorite adult film star.]
GM announced that next year it will have a car on the road that has no steering wheel or pedals. [It sounds like my first car.]
Walmart is getting rid of thousands of managers. [Because you know how well-managed your local Walmart is.]
Switzerland has passed a new law making it illegal to boil a lobster without first stunning it. [They also can’t be killed until they’ve exhausted all of their appeals.]
The sequel to the hit movie starring Paddington Bear is out. [I can’t remember if this is the one where they kidnap his daughter or the one where they kidnap his wife.]
Liam Neeson spoke out in support of Dustin Hoffman who has been accused of some of the worst sexual harassment allegations. [I guess this also serves double duty as notice of Liam Neeson’s retirement.]
Seattle has a new soft drink tax that makes a Costco pack of drinks that normally cost $15.99 now cost $26.33. [It gets worse. If it’s Dr. Pepper, there’s also a co-pay.]
A false alarm meant that everyone in Hawaii thought that a ballistic missile was on its way to the island. [Everyone was upset except bartenders. If people think that they have only minutes to live, they usually order something besides pineapple juice.]
NEWS & NUGGETS
AFTER FALSE HAWAII MISSILE NOTICE, FCC LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION _ On Saturday Hawaiians received a terrifying message on their phones, repeated on television and radio stations, which had received a similar alert: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” But actually, it was something of a drill, in that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) was running a routine test at the end of a shift and accidentally sent the message state-wide. Unfortunately, it took 38 minutes for the agency to correct the alert with a second alert. Although state leaders quickly tweeted out corrections, Hawaiians who were waiting for an all-clear from the same outlet spent more than half an hour in suspense.
… In a press conference Saturday, Vern Miyagi, Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency Administrator, apologized: “We spent the last few months trying to get ahead of this whole threat so that we could provide as much notification and preparation time to the public. … I accept responsibility for this, this is my team, we made a mistake.”
… Miyagi added that the message was sent in error when an employee accidentally designated that the message was supposed to be an “event” rather than a “test” in the software that sent notifications.
Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What’s the scariest text you got that turned out to be nothing?
BABIES STIR UP CLOUDS OF BIO-GUNK WHEN THEY CRAWL _ Parents, get ready to be grossed out. A new study has found when babies crawl, their movement across floors, especially carpeted surfaces, kicks up high levels of dirt, skin cells, bacteria, pollen, and fungal spores. The infants inhale a dose of bio bits in their lungs that is four times what an adult would breathe walking across the same floor.
… As alarming as that sounds, researchers (Purdue University) say that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing: “Many studies have shown that inhalation exposure to microbes and allergen-carrying particles in that portion of life plays a significant role in both the development of, and protection from, asthma and allergic diseases. There are studies that have shown that being exposed to a high diversity and concentration of biological materials may reduce the prevalence of asthma and allergies later in life.”
NEW STUDY FINDS ‘BABY BRAIN’ IS REAL _ Expectant mothers have long complained of inattention, forgetfulness and reduced cognitive functioning during pregnancy. They weren’t wrong. A new study looking at so-called “baby brain” combined data from 20 other studies reporting the relationship between pregnancy and brain changes. Results showed that when pregnant women are compared to non-pregnant women, they perform much worse on tasks measuring memory and executive functioning (which includes attention, inhibition, decision-making and planning), and this difference is most pronounced during the third trimester.
RACING LEGEND DAN GURNEY DIES AT 86 _ Dan Gurney, the first racer to achieve wins in Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar and one of the most revered and accomplished figures in motorsports history, died Sunday. He was 86.
WORLD’S FASTEST MOTORIZED LOG IS FOR SALE _ A red cedar tree trunk on wheels is up for auction after setting the world record as the world’s fastest log car. The Cedar Rocket was built by the team at Pioneer Log Homes of Williams Lake, British Columbia, whose wood-based creations earned them four seasons as the stars of the TV show Timber Kings. Although he’s usually building luxury log homes, company founder Bryan Reid Sr. came up with the idea for the car after attending the Barrett-Jackson luxury car auction in Arizona back in 2014. • VIDEO
… The single Western red cedar uses parts from a Mazda RX-8 sports car and turbines to give it juice. They opted to make the car electric after realizing the complexity of keeping a fuel tank in a wooden vehicle.
A NOVEL APPROACH COMES TO RESTAURANT PRICING _ One of London’s leading restaurants has launched a new pricing model based on the travel industry, with different charges depending on the day of the week and time of your booking. Bob Bob Ricard, known for a luxurious dining room, is offering exactly the same menu, only prices are 25 percent lower for off-peak times such as Monday lunch and 15 percent off mid-peak, including dinner on Tuesdays and Sundays. Book for Saturday night and it’s full price.
IV BAG SHORTAGE FORCES HOSPITALS TO PRESERVE RESOURCES _ A shortage of intravenous fluids and bags amid a severe flu season has forced U.S. hospitals to find new methods to deliver some medicines. Blame hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico, one of the primary manufacturers of medical supplies. Baxter International’s Puerto Rico plant, which produces 44 percent of the IV bags used in U.S. hospitals, sustained major damage during Hurricane Maria in September. B. Braun Medical Inc., responsible for producing 10 percent of IV bags used in the United States, also has faced production issues before and after the storm. The effects of the shortage has been exacerbated by a severe flu season.
PASSENGER PLANE SKIDS OFF RUNWAY AND GETS STUCK ON CLIFF EDGE _ A passenger plane skidded off a runway and was left stuck precariously on the side of a cliff in northeast Turkey. All 162 passengers and crew on board the Pegasus Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 miraculously escaped, with no serious injuries reported. Authorities are yet to establish what led to the budget airline plane veering off of the runway shortly after landing, with unverified reports suggesting the incident may have been caused by a bird strike.
THIS IS THE BEST JOB IN AMERICA _ U.S. News and World Report just released its annual list of the best jobs in America. To determine the nationwide ranking, a team of researchers gathered data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on 100 popular jobs. Then, they ranked each position based on characteristics such as demand, work/life balance, and growth potential. While dentists have been considered the best job in America for the past several years, one tech position offers a better overall lifestyle, according to the report. Software developers earned the highest rank on this year’s survey of the best jobs in America. Not only do these skilled techies earn an average salary of $108,080, but they’re also likely to be hired fast. And the huge demand for software developers isn’t expected to drop anytime soon, either.
… The Top 5: Software Developer; Dentist; Physician Assistant; Nurse Practitioner; Orthodontist
MOST AMERICANS TRY TO SELF-INSTALL HOME ELECTRONICS — MANY GIVE UP _ A new survey reveals 75% of Americans who purchase gadgets like streaming devices, smart TVs, printers and wifi routers try setting them up on their own. The study reveals nearly a third of those who do give up and call tech support.
DENNIS RODMAN ARRESTED FOR DUI _ Southern California cops arrested Dennis Rodman for alleged drunken driving, forcing him into an overnight stay behind bars. The 56-year-old former NBA star was pulled over at 11 p.m. Saturday for unspecified vehicle code violations. He failed a field sobriety test and consented to a breathalyzer exam, where he blew a blood-alcohol level greater than the legal limit of .08. Rodman was taken to the city jail booked for alleged DUI before where he was released without bail at 6:15 Sunday morning.
IT’S GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME AGAIN _ Some background: Individual troops began organizing cookie sales as early as 1917 to fund the troop’s activities. The first record of such a sale was by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in December of 1917. In 1922, the Girl Scout magazine The American Girl suggested cookie sales as a fund-raiser and provided recipes. In 1933, Girl Scouts in Philadelphia organized the first official “Girl Scout Cookie” sale, selling homemade cookies in the windows of local utility companies. The first Girl Scout cookie recipe was a sugar cookie. In 1936 the national organization began licensing commercial bakers to produce them.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CAR CRASHED INTO THE SECOND FLOOR OF BUILDING _ Early Sunday morning, fire officials in Santa Ana, California, responded to a car crash that looked like a picture from a movie scene, with a white Nissan Altima lodged into the second floor of a dental office. Police say the vehicle crossed three lanes before hitting a center divider, soaring through the air and straight into the second story building. One of the individuals involved in the crash was able to get out of the vehicle without help, while the other one required rescuing. • IMAGE
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN SAYS SHE HAS MARRIED A GHOST _ Women, if you’re fed up with dating humans, maybe you should follow Amanda Teague’s lead by ditching living, breathing people and getting hitched to a ghost instead. Teague’s husband is Jack. They go on dates together, sometimes have arguments, and have a healthy sex life. The fact that Jack died almost 300 years ago barely affects their marriage at all.
… Amanda — who’s from Ireland — had five children with her human ex-husband, but said she has never been able to connect with anyone like her husband Jack. Although she has never seen Jack’s physical form, Amanda said he was a Haitian pirate, who told her he is black with jet black hair, and was executed for his crimes in the 1700s. When Jack the ghost reached out Teague says “we became really close … the more I learned about him, the more I liked him. One day he said to me, ‘We can actually be together you know’, but I had never heard of an intimate relationship between a spirit and a human before. I did some research and found out that it is a real thing and there are lots of people in spiritual relationships…”
… Amanda claims her family has been entirely supportive of their relationship, which took the next step when Jack proposed.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LOUSY KIDNAPPERS _ Three men who kidnapped a Russian businessman were busted because of pizza. The kidnappers used the man’s credit card to order the pizza and that enabled cops to trace them to the hotel room where they were holed up.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANDIT IN A WHEELCHAIR _ A security guard at a grocery store in Norway noticed a woman in a motorized wheelchair put several items into a bag, and then drive past the registers. He told her to stop, but she powered her chair right through the glass door. Another store employee grabbed the chair’s handles, but could only hang on for a 100 feet or so. They chased her for more than a mile but she got away. Police later tracked her down and raided her apartment. She was charged with shoplifting, property damage, assault, and may face hit-and-run charges for running over a boy during her escape.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLICE ARREST NAKED MAN AFTER CRASH _ Jackson, Mississippi, police were alerted to an SUV hitting two vehicles after leaving a nightclub. A witness said the SUV was traveling fast when it hit the cars. A high-speed chase ended with an awkward arrest for officers — a naked man behind the wheel.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN TOSSING TREE OUT WINDOW FALLS WITH IT _ During an attempt to dispose of his Christmas tree, a German man threw himself out of a third story window along with the tree. The tree did not break the victim’s fall. He was taken to the hospital.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN BUSTED FOR HIDING POT ON HIS BUTT _ A Japanese man was arrested at an airport in the Philippines after an officer who frisked him during a routine body check felt something on his rear end. When police demanded that he take out what was hidden in his underwear, the man brought out 34 marijuana cigarettes.
ON TELEVISION
THE BACHELOR (8p ET, ABC) — New. Arie picks eight women for a wrestling-themed date.
THE WALL (8p ET, NBC) — New
KEVIN CAN WAIT (8p ET, CBS) — New. Kevin and Vanessa they run into the owner of a rival company (guest star Ricardo Chavira, Desperate Housewives) who is determined to put them out of business.
SEASON FINALE: THE GIFTED (8p ET, FOX) — Season one wraps up with a 2-hour finale. The show has been renewed for a 2nd season.
SUPERGIRL (8p ET, CW) — New. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) remains in a dreamlike state, so Mon-El (Chris Wood) recruits one of the Legion members to try to bring her back.
INSIDE NORTH KOREA: THE KIM DYNASTY (8p ET, National Geographic) — The dictatorships of Kims Il-sung, Jong-il and Jong-un are analyzed in this new special.
MAN WITH A PLAN (8:30p ET, CBS) — New. Adam and Andi are caught off guard by unexpected expenses and decide to give up a luxury to pay for it.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER (9p ET, NBC) — New. The guys enjoy the culture of Barcelona, Spain, and Henry bares it all as a nude model for an art class.
SUPERIOR DONUTS (9p ET, CBS) — New. An admission from Franco and Sofia shocks Arthur and the gang.
VALOR (9p ET, CW) — New.
SERIES PREMIERE: CHAIN OF COMMAND (9p ET, National Geographic) — This eight-part docu-series looks at the U.S. military’s war on terrorism. Chris Evans (Captain America) narrates.
9JKL (9:30p ET, CBS) — New. Josh realizes the woman he is dating (guest star Andrea Anders, Better Off Ted) is the result of his mother’s meddling.
PREMIERE: GIANT AMERICA (9:30p ET, Travel Channel) — Comedian Tom Green hosts this new series, where he travels the U.S. to find out the story behind every massive structure in the nation. In the premiere, he heads to the Texas State Fair and attempts to set a record eating an 85-ounce steak.
SCORPION (10p ET, CBS) — New. The team must work with Toby’s ex-fiancée (Shantal VanSanten, Shooter) when they are locked inside a doomsday bunker.
THE GOOD DOCTOR (10p ET, ABC) — New. Complications force the team to make a life-changing decision regarding the twins.
THE BRAVE (10p ET, NBC) — New. Revolutionaries take over a flight in Colombia.
OPRAH’S MASTER CLASS (10p ET, OWN) — Congressman and civil-rights icon John Lewis of Georgia discusses his life and career in this new edition.
ENTERTAINMENT
JUMANJI REMAINS NO. 1 MOVIE _ Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is hanging in there, making another $27 million at North American theaters over the weekend. The film has a worldwide total of $667 million. Coming second was Steven Spielberg’s The Post, starring Streep and Tom Hanks, which made $18.6 million.
AZIZ ANSARI IS THE LATEST NAME ACCUSED OF ASSAULT _ Comedian Aziz Ansari is the latest big name to come under fire for allegedly assaulting a woman on a date. According to Babe.net, Ansari assaulted a woman after taking her back to his apartment in New York City last September. The woman said the two met at the 2017 Emmy Awards after-party where Aziz had been taking pictures using an old film camera. Intrigued, the two sparked a conversation and eventually exchanged numbers. Once back in New York, Aziz proposed a date. Grace agreed, and they shared dinner and cocktails before heading back to Ansari’s apartment. Once there, Ansari immediately began kissing, fondling, and undressing her, and within the first minute only broke off to say he was going to grab a condom. The woman, however, was off-put by how forward Aziz was as soon as they entered the apartment. She says Aziz was very single-minded and kept asking where they should perform intercourse, a question the woman found hard to answer as she didn’t actually want to. She continued to provide “verbal and non-verbal cues” to Ansari for the next 30 minutes until eventually it seemed he would relent, saying, “Of course, it’s only fun if we’re both having fun.” Grace had to break off and regroup in the bathroom, splashing water on her face for five minutes, until she appeared and again expressed that she felt uncomfortable. That’s when Ansari pointed to his groin. Soon after she called an Uber that took her home in tears.
MICHELLE WILLIAMS PRAISES MARK WAHLBERG’S TIME’S UP DONATION _ Michelle Williams has praised Mark Wahlberg’s decision to donate his $1.5 million dollar paycheck for reshoots of All The Money In The World to Time’s Up. Wahlberg was met with outrage when it was revealed he earned the big bucks to re-film portions of the film to erase actor Kevin Spacey while Williams reportedly received less than $1,000. Williams praised the move by Wahlberg and the talent agency William Morris Endeavours (WME), which said it would donate an additional US$500,000 to the initiative set up to help fund accusers of sexual harassment and abuse.
BB-8 ALMOST HAD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NAME _ An incredible amount of work and thought are put into each creature in the Star Wars galaxy. But what about the lovable droids who stand alongside the human heroes of the franchise? That includes BB-8, who was introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Poe Dameron’s best friend and, once he’s found by Rey, the impetus for the plot of Episode 7. But it turns out that adorable galaxy-saving droid that everyone affectionately calls BB-8 could have had a totally different name.
… During the production process code names are used for characters. BB-8, for instance, started out as Snow Girl. Then it was Globe at one time. There were four or five names for BB-8, but the name BB-8 didn’t come until very, very late.
STAR WARS VACUUM _ Sure, you’ve got the Star Wars Toaster, the Darth Vader Waffle Maker, and the Star Wars Immersion Blender, but do you have the Darth Vader Robot Vacuum or the Stormtrooper Robot Vacuum? They’re real and what Star Wars fan wouldn’t want ’em?
STREAMING SERVICE CRACKLE WILL GET A NEW-ISH NAME _ Sony’s free, ad-supported streaming service Crackle is getting a new name this spring: Sony Crackle.
ALL ER EPISODES NOW STREAMING ON HULU _ Prepare to scrub in for the longest binge of your life. Hulu has acquired the rights to ER, marking the first time the iconic NBC medical drama has been available on a streaming service. All 15 seasons — 331 episodes total — are now available to watch. ER was a big piece of NBC’s Must-See TV lineup from 1994-2009, airing Thursdays every year. It had a record-setting 124 Emmy nominations, winning 23.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 RELEASE DATE SET FOR 2020 _ James Gunn previously hinted that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be coming in 2020, but now he’s made it official. In a new tweet, the filmmaker said that fans can definitely expect the third installment in 2020. This means that we will be seeing the Guardians of the Galaxy four years in a row. We saw them in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we’ll see them in Avengers: Infinity War this May, again in Avengers 4 in 2019, and then in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.
NEW BLACK PANTHER COMMERCIAL _ IF you can’t get enough of Black Panther and think February 16 is waaay too far off, there’s a new TV commercial for the Marvel superhero film. • VIDEO
THE CROWN: VANESSA KIRBY ALL BUT CONFIRMS HELENA BONHAM-CARTER’S CASTING _ Vanessa Kirby has essentially confirmed what has long been speculated: Helena Bonham-Carter is set to step into her role as Princess Margaret on the critically acclaimed Netflix drama The Crown. Kirby’s Instagram post shows her side-by-side with Bonham-Carter, with the caption “Honoured.” • IMAGE
… Kirby has played the role of the Princess for the first two seasons, but the third season will feature an all-new cast in the major roles.
MARCIA CLARK’S SERIES _ A&E is cashing in on the true crime phenomenon with two new unscripted, investigative series, the first starring famed prosecutor Marcia Clark, and the second featuring Nancy Grace and Dan Abrams. Marcia Clark Investigate the First 48 will delve into some of America’s most shocking crimes that have remained unsolved or ended with controversial outcomes. Each two-hour episode will dig into a specific case, tracking the first 48 hours of the investigation that can be a make or break window that determines whether a case gets solved or not.
… The famous mysteries Clark will be investigating include the Casey Anthony case, the murder of actor Robert Blake’s wife Bonny Lee Bakley, the disappearance of Drew Peterson’s wife Stacy and many more. The series premieres Thursday, March 29.
… As for Grace vs. Abrams, if you’re a fan of their Good Morning America segments, this is the show for you. Grace and Abrams will take compelling and opposing points on crimes and trials that captured national attention. Grace vs. Abrams premieres March 29.
SOMEONE MADE A HOMEMADE GREMLINS SHORT FILM _ They’re back. Don’t feed them after midnight, don’t let them get wet. I’m referring to Gremlins. While we wait patiently for the long-awaited official Gremlins reboot, or sequel, or whatever it is they’re working on, we have a really good fan film to keep Gremlins fans happy. Gremlins: Recall is a fan film made by filmmaker Ryan Patrick and a whole bunch of his Gremlins-loving friends. This is a seriously impressive fan film, with excellent production value and sleek cinematography. • VIDEO
FIRST TRAILER FOR “THE HANDMAID’S TALE” SEASON 2 _ We’ve got our first trailer for the second season of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tail and, yep, this season is going to be messed up. • VIDEO
MARISA TOMEI GUEST-STARRING IN SEASON 2 OF HANDMAID’S TALE _ Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei is joining the sophomore season of Handmaid’s Tale for a guest-starring role.
GEORGE CLOONEY TO DIRECT AND STAR IN LIMITED SERIES CATCH-22 ON HULU _
George Clooney is doing something that he hasn’t done in 18 years. He’s heading back to television. Hulu confirmed that they picked up Clooney’s latest project, a high-profile television adaption of the 1961 classic novel Catch-22. Clooney will play Colonel Cathcart in the 6-part miniseries based on the book written by Joseph Heller. He will be directing the series as well.
… Catch-22 is set in Italy during World War II. The satirical story is about a U.S. Air Force bombardier named Yossarian who wants to stop running missions with the military. The title comes from the dilemma of trying to get out of the service. One can be relieved of their missions if they are proven to be insane. However, those who request to be relieved of duty due to the danger involved are then deemed sane — a true Catch-22.
AUDIO
Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.
• DROP: Today in the science room we’re discussing a very important matter.
• TRUMP: Donald Trump on Sunday misquoted himself in a tweet complaining about how he had supposedly been misquoted in a scrutinized Wall Street Journal interview. The Journal soon released audio of the interview to prove the president said what it reported, and the White House followed up minutes later with a seemingly identical recording trying to prove the Journal wrong.
• DROP: Do it right now!
INTERPREP PROSHARE
More prep in the Facebook Group.
BITS & BREAKS
BAD POEM
If you miss the holiday spirit
There’s a way to make it last
Just take a look inside your mailbox
For the bills of Christmas past.
TOP TEN MOVIES
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, $27 million
- The Post, $18.6 million
- The Commuter, $13.4 million
- Insidious: The Last Key, $12.1 million
- The Greatest Showman, $11.8 million
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi, $11.2 million
- Paddington 2, $10.6 million
- Proud Mary, $10 million
- Pitch Perfect 3, $5.6 million
- Darkest Hour, $4.5 million
… One year ago this week the number one movie was Hidden Figures.
… Five years ago this week the number one movie was Zero Dark Thirty.
… Ten years ago this week the number one movie was The Bucket List.
… Twenty years ago this week the number one movie was Titanic.
IN THEATERS FRIDAY
• 12 Strong (R) – The story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban. Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña
• Den of Thieves (R) – A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank. Gerard Butler, 50 Cent
• Forever My Girl (PG) – After being gone for a decade a country star returns home to the love he left behind. Alex Roe, Jessica Rothe
WEEKLY HOT LIST
Courtesy of morning show talent coach Steve Reynolds. The Hot List is made up of the topics everyone knows about.
- NFL Playoffs
- MLK Day
- The Flu
- Hawaii Missile Alert
- Mark Wahlberg
- Oprah
- Winter Olympics
- North Korea
- Katie Couric
- Liam Neeson
- Keith Jackson
- Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
- James Franco
- Tonya Harding
LAWYERS SHARE THE WEIRDEST THINGS PEOPLE HAVE FOUGHT OVER
Lawyers on Reddit have shared the weirdest things people have fought over.
• Food in the pantry. Like $1 canned peaches and some stale muffins.
• A surge protector.
• One couple fought over who got the scrap metal in the back yard.
• Not a divorce trial. At a probate trial in which the judge held an auction in the courtroom, two warring brothers bid on their parent’s stuff. And we are not talking about Picassos and diamonds either, they were fighting over one of those electronic/plastic frogs that ribbits when someone walks past it.
FUN & GAMES
TRIVIA: Besides Earth, only Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have what? (Magnetic fields.)
RADIO SMUSH
I give you two words or phrases and you smush the answer together to make a ridiculous word or phrase. For example, if I say, “An actor once married to Robin Wright + strong antibiotic,” you would reply “Sean Penn-icillin.”
• The star of J.K. Rowling’s books + the stuff created with clay and a wheel. (Harry Pottery)
• What you cook burgers on in the back yard + a sandwich with American slices. (Barbecue grilled cheese)
• A golden awards show + a funny basketball team. (Golden Globetrotters)
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Curious crow interrupts live weather report.
https://www.facebook.com/ktvu/videos/10155313317977061/
IMAGE OF THE DAY
source: unknown
DATEBOOK: JANUARY 16, 2018
This is day 16 of 2018. There are 349 days remaining.
BIRTHDAYS
• Director John Carpenter (Halloween films) is 70
• Actress-dancer Debbie Allen is 68
• Sade is 59
• David Chokachi (Baywatch) is 50
• Kate Moss is 44
• Lin-Manuel Miranda is 38
IT HAPPENED TODAY
• 1909: Ernest Shackleton’s expedition found the magnetic South Pole.
• 1920: The U.S. outlawed alcohol and went “dry,” a year after states ratified the 18th Amendment. Fourteen years of “prohibition” followed.
• 1939: The comic strip Superman made its debut.
• 1957: The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool. Originally a jazz club, it became famous as the first home of the Beatles.
• 1976: The TV variety series “Donny & Marie” premiered on ABC.
• 1987: Red M&Ms returned for the first time in 11 years after being banned because the original red dye used in the candy had caused cancer in laboratory rats.
• 1991: The United States of America declared war on Iraq, beginning the Persian Gulf War.
• 1996: Jamaican authorities fired upon on Jimmy Buffett’s seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker’s plane. U2 singer Bono was with Buffett, but neither was hurt.
• 2000: Disney animator Marc David died at age 86 after suffering a stroke. He created Cinderella, Bambi, Tinkerbell, Sleeping Beauty, and Cruella de Ville.
• 2003: The Space Shuttle Columbia took off on what would be its final mission. Columbia would disintegrate 16 days later on re-entry.
• 2007: In Tallahassee, Florida, a hunter’s wife said when she opened her refrigerator, the duck her husband killed two days earlier raised its head and looked at her. The woman said she freaked out and told her daughter to “get that duck to the hospital right now!” The lucky duck was patched up and taken to a wildlife sanctuary.
• 2007: Senator Barack Obama of Illinois launched his bid for the White House.
• 2015: New U.S. rules loosening trade restrictions with Cuba went into effect, including permission to sell instruments, tools, equipment and supplies to private businesses.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Appreciate A Dragon Day
• Civil Service Day
• Fig Newton Day
• Nothing Day
• Religious Freedom Day
• Hot and Spicy Food Day
UPCOMING
• January 21: Screen Actors Guild Awards
• 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
• March 4: Academy Awards
• March 8: International Women’s Day
• March 9: SXSW begins
• March 11: Daylight Saving Time begins
• March 13: March Madness begins
• April 1: Easter
• May 19: The royal wedding