INTERPREP ★ MAY 30, 2019

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Audio • Bits & Breaks • Country Prep • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Wacky-But-True • User’s Guide Facebook Group

DATEBOOK: MAY 30, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Stephen Tobolowsky (insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day) is 68 AUDIO

• Colm Meaney (Star Trek: The Next Generation) is 66

• Ted McGinley (Married With Children) is 61

• Idina Menzel is 48

• Javicia Leslie (God Friended Me) is 32

• Jared Gilmore (Once Upon A Time, Mad Men) is 19

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1868: Decoration Day — the predecessor of the modern Memorial Day — was observed in the United States for the first time.

• 1883: In New York City, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede which crushed twelve people.

• 1911: At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ended with Ray Harroun becoming the first winner of the 500-mile auto race.

• 1922: In Washington, D.C. the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated.

• 1981: The compact disc was first introduced.

• 1996: Britain’s Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were granted an uncontested divorce ending their 10-year marriage.

• 2006: The FBI said it had found no trace of missing labor leader Jimmy Hoffa after digging up a suburban Detroit horse farm.

• 2011: After executing its final mission, Space Shuttle Endeavor successfully undocked from the International Space Station to return to earth.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Creativity Day

• Nail Tech Day

• Mint Julep Day

• World MS Day

UPCOMING

• May 30: National Spelling Bee Final
• May 30: NBA Finals start
• June 7: National Donut Day
• June 8: Belmont Stakes
• June 16: Father’s Day
• June 19: Juneteenth, the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery
• June 20: NBA draft
• June 21: NHL draft
• June 26: First Democratic debate, in Miami
• July 1: Wimbledon starts
• July 4: Independence Day
• July 5-6: World Wife Carrying Championship
• July 6: Tour de France starts
• July 8: MLB All-Star Game
• July 30: Second Democratic debate, in Detroit
• August 2: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally begins
• September 2: Labor Day

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

8: Times more likely you are to be late for an appointment if you set your watches and clocks fast.

NEWS ATTACK!

A Rhode Island woman found herself trapped in her car as a bear kept trying to open the door and get inside. [Officials say that’s unusual for the bears in that area. Usually they take Ubers.]

In Missouri, a bear wandered into a church school. [Well, in these troubled times we could all use a little comfort and guidance.]

The Netherlands has banned the Hells Angels for their violence. [And overuse of denim.]

A new clinical trial finds that energy drinks can dangerously raise the blood pressure and cause the heart to malfunction. [In other words, it’s like falling in love except you don’t have to shower or leave the house.]

Researchers have discovered a group of wild chimpanzees that fish year round for crabs. [But how can they afford those expensive boats?]

NASA released a photo of the plot of land where they plan to land a Mars rover next year. [It’s on a little cul-de-sac within short distance of excellent schools and upscale shopping centers.]

A new survey finds that travelers are giving improved scores to airlines. Respondents especially appreciated the ability to automatically make reservations and to check-in using computers. [In other words, travelers now like dealing with airlines because they no longer have to deal with the airlines.]

Mount Everest has become overcrowded with mountain climbers. Did you know that at this very minute Mandy Moore is climbing Everest? [And next season, it’s the site of The Bachelorette.]

A ferry near Seattle struck and injured a humpback whale. [Eyewitnesses say the ferry failed to signal.]

A new Godzilla movie opens Friday. [But it’s not for children. Godzilla goes the entire movie without pants.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

TRAVELERS LEFT NEARLY $1M IN LOOSE CHANGE AT TSA CHECKPOINTS _ Frazzled fliers streaming through security checkpoints at the nation’s airports left behind $960,105.49 in fiscal 2018, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

… At JFK Airport, the TSA collected $72,392.74, the most of any airport.

…. In previous years, the agency used the found money to pay for checkpoint maintenance, translation of checkpoint signs into foreign languages and the PreCheck program.

LONGER COMMUTES EQUAL LARGER WASTE LINE _ A study (of Atlanta residents) found that for every extra 30 minutes commuters drove each day, they had a 3 percent greater chance of being obese than people who drove less. In other words, the more you drive, the fatter you get.

SCHOOL JANITOR WINS $5 MILLION JACKPOT BUT WON’T QUIT HIS JOB _ A Canadian janitor who recently won the British Columbia Lottery may now be a millionaire, but that doesn’t mean he plans on quitting his day job. Days after celebrating his birthday, Vito Halasan discovered that all six numbers on his lotto ticket were a match for the $5 million April 27 draw. The 58-year-old father of three says he wants to make sure he can give his family as much as possible, said he doesn’t plan on quitting his job as a school janitor. He does plan, however, to work fewer hours now.

READERS STILL PREFER PHYSICAL BOOKS _ Results from a new survey regarding reading habits are out and it says we still prefer physical books. Sixty-five percent of respondents prefer physical books over e-books and audiobooks; 29% prefer e-books, while 18% prefer audiobooks.

UBER WILL BAN RIDERS WITH LOW RATINGS _ Uber announced Wednesday it will start banning riders with low ratings. Uber will not disclose how low a rider’s rating has to be in order to get booted from the platform, but a company spokesperson said it will vary by city and is based on the average rider rating in that city.

THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO HOLD AND EAT A BURGER _ Are you eating your hamburgers the right way? Japanese researchers — “experts in fluid mechanics, engineering, and density” said you should hold your burger with thumbs and pinkies on the bottom, middle three fingers on top. The uniformly spread fingers help keep the burger together at all times, thus keeping the contents from mushing out preemptively.

MOM GIVES BIRTH IN UNDER 4 MINUTES IN CAR WITH HER 3 KIDS _ AUDIO Two parents had the surprise of a lifetime after their little girl was born just minutes away from the hospital — and their 10-year-old caught the entire thing on video. Michael Addison and Rudia Napier from Henderson, Nevada, had no idea that their little girl would arrive as quickly as she did. In a video that’s gone viral, it shows Napier as she gives birth in their car. Although Napier’s due date wasn’t until June 8, both parents were surprised to find themselves in an incredible situation as they drove to a checkup at the hospital on May 24.

… The couple had brought their three children along for the appointment, so they were in the car when things started happening — quickly. Dad Michael Addison explained that as he drove, they started to film the ride to record a “pre-baby delivery video” but they never expected it to turn into more than that. • VIDEO

OFFICE GRUMPS COULD BE MAKING THE JOB BETTER FOR EVERYONE _ The office grump may be doing the whole company a favor. When disgruntled employees have a chance to gripe about pay and conditions, they skip work less and leave for other jobs at lower rates, according to new research (University of Michigan, Boston College, University of Hawaii at Manoa).

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: GET SOME SLEEP OR YOUR BRAIN WILL SHUT DOWN _ Researchers say being deprived of sleep even for one night makes the brain unstable and prone to sudden shutdowns akin to a power failure. The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study found that people who are sleep-deprived alternate between periods of near-normal brain function and dramatic lapses in attention and visual processing.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BOY CALLS POLICE TO WIN ARGUMENT _ A second-grader in China called police because mom didn’t think his math homework was correct. When cops arrived they proved the boy’s math was better than his mom’s.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN ACCUSED OF ATTACKING MANAGER FOR FREE FRIES _ Police in Miami have arrested one woman and are looking for a second after an alleged assault on a Burger King manager over french fries. Natasha Ethel Bagley faces charges of armed burglary with assault or battery, attempted robbery with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. Bagley and her girlfriend went to the fast food at restaurant April 2 and asked for free fries at the drive thru. When an employee refused, the two women allegedly parked and walked into the restaurant. Peguero hopped over the counter and, with her hands in her pockets, claimed she had a pistol and demanded the manager give them all of the money in the register. When the unidentified female manager tried to call police, Peguero punched the woman in the face. Police say Bagley joined in, helping Peguero assault the manager.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER HAD SEE-THROUGH DISGUISE _ In England a thief tried to rob a store, but the manager laughed at him because he could see right through the clear plastic bag he had pulled over his head as a disguise. Someone saw the thief climb into a car with an accomplice. Police caught up to them minutes later.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WIFE SMACKS HUSBAND OVER DISHWASHER LOADING _ A woman in the UK was arrested after she smacked her husband for not loading the dishwasher correctly. The point of the knife down, spoons up!

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CIGAR-SMOKING MAN SELLS GAS FROM MINIVAN _ A Florida man was arrested for selling gasoline from his converted mini-van. Police say they found him driving around, smoking a cigar and selling gasoline to several cars on the street.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN SCARES OFF STALKER BY STRIPPING _ A woman being followed by a man on a motor scooter in China discovered a unique way to get rid of her stalker. People who witnessed the incident were initially baffled by what she did, but it did the trick as the unwanted visitor was embarrassed away before the police turned up. The woman was walking and being followed by a man on a motor scooter. There is a stage in a square where concerts and plays are held. She went on the stage and took off her clothes to lie down naked, and then the man left. A police spokesman said: “Normally an act of this kind would be punishable with a fine but on this case, as she got dressed when officers arrived, we took no further action.”

ON TELEVISION

2019 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE (10a ET, ESPN 2) — The finalists from 3 days of competition will spell onstage until about a dozen or so spellers remain.

JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: GAME NIGHT (8p ET, ABC) — New.

SEASON FINALE: MARVEL’S CLOAK AND DAGGER (8p ET, Freeform) — The show has not yet been renewed for another season.

SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE FINALS (8:30p ET, ESPN) — The final spellers compete.

2019 NBA FINALS (9p ET, ABC) — The Golden State Warriors take on the Toronto Raptors in Game 1.

PROJECT RUNWAY (9p ET, Bravo) — New. This challenge will determine which four will move on to the finale. They must create their biggest and best looks as well as designing experimental art installations, Rapper Cardi B and Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo are the guests.

ELEMENTARY (10p ET, CBS) — New. Holmes and Watson try to work a stateside investigation from London.

SERIES PREMIERE: THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH (Netflix) — This animated series is based on the best-selling The Last Kids on Earth books by Max Brallier. The voice cast includes Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, Catherine O’Hara, Keith David, Bruce Campbell, and Nick Wolfhard as the lead character Jack Sullivan.

ENTERTAINMENT

HARRY POTTER IS THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL CHILDREN’S BOOK CHARACTER _ J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter has been named the most inspirational children’s book character. The young wizard won the hearts of readers throughout the seven book installments, after discovering his magical powers at the age of 11.

… The poll of 2,000 parents revealed the following:

Harry Potter
Matilda
Charlie Bucket, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Hermione Granger, Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling
Mary Poppins
Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan
Paddington Bear
Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Peter Rabbit

ALEX TREBEK SAYS SOME TUMORS HAVE SHRUNK BY 50 PERCENT _ When Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer three months ago, fans were shocked. But now the game show host has good news to share: He’s in “near remission,” according to doctors. The 78-year-old calls the diagnoses “mind-boggling.” Although the cancer has a 9 percent survival rate, Trebek has been responding very well to chemotherapy, and he says some of the tumors “have already shrunk by more than 50 percent.”

… Trebek says he’ll still have to go through several more rounds of chemotherapy to hopefully get into full remission, but he’s elated at how far he’s come.

ASHTON KUTCHER TESTIFIES IN CASE AGAINST SERIAL KILLER _ Ashton Kutcher testified at a Los Angeles murder trial that he went to pick up a woman to go out for drinks on a night in 2001 and left when she didn’t answer her door, only to learn the next day she had been killed. Kutcher said from the witness stand Wednesday that he looked into the window at the Hollywood home of 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin and saw what he believed were wine stains before leaving, thinking the fashion design student had already gone out for the night. Kutcher said he told detectives the next day he knew his fingerprints were on the door and he was “freaking out.” The testimony came in the trial of Michael Gargiulo, who is charged with killing Ellerin and another woman.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE STAR TREK 4 SCRIPT _ Star Trek 4 was all set to bring back Chris Hemsworth as Kirk’s father, and then it fell apart. Hemsworth and Chris Pine, who plays Kirk in the rebooted film franchise, both walked away from the project, putting the future of Star Trek 4 in serious doubt. Salary negotiations were cited as the reasoning behind Hemsworth and Pine jumping ship, but now Hemsworth has revealed another reason: he wasn’t happy with the script.

… J.J. Abrams’s 2009 Star Trek reboot opened with the birth of Captain Kirk during a big space battle aboard the USS Kelvin. During the battle, baby Kirk and his mother escape, but his father George Kirk, played by Hemsworth, dies. J.J. Abrams later came up with a pretty neat idea: what if Hemsworth came back for a sequel with some sort of time travel element causing the now-adult Kirk, played by Chris Pine, teaming up with his father for a big adventure.

… As recently as 2017 Hemsworth called the Abrams concept “amazing,” and by 2018 pre-production was ramping up. It was reported late last year that Hemsworth and Pine had dropped out over salary. But in a new Variety interview Hemsworth says he turned down the film because he wasn’t sold on the script.

THE GOOD FIGHT SEASON 1 WILL AIR ON CBS _ The Good Fight — the CBS All Access spin-off of the beloved legal procedural The Good Wife — will make its way to CBS this summer, with Season 1 getting a special limited broadcast run starting June 16. It’s an effort to get Emmy attention for the series’ recently concluded third season, as well as attract subscribers to CBS All Access.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.

• BIRTH IN CAR – Nevada woman gives birth on way to hospital for check-up. → May 30 News & Nuggets

• NED RYERSON: On 5/30 Stephen Tobolowsky is 68. He played insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day.

• DROP: She’s hilarious.

BITS & BREAKS

BAD SUMMER CAMP

How to tell if you picked a bad summer camp for your kids.

• Parent’s day is when campers see their moms and dads, and the counselors check in with their probation officers.

• The head cook is known for doing wonderful things with road kill.

• The last game of “capture the flag” resulted in NATO air strikes.

• The camp nurse does a credit check on kids before giving medical care.

• The lifeguard can’t deal with the idea of getting her hair wet.

WHAT JUNE HAS FOR US

• The Stanley Cup and NBA Finals!

• June 5 – Black Mirror, Season 5 on Netflix

• June 7 – X-Men: Dark Phoenix is in theaters.

• June 7 is National Donut Day

• June 9 – Tony Awards

• June 14 – Men in Black: International, with Thor: Ragnarok co-stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson

• June 14 – Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Season 3 on Netflix

• June 16 – Father’s Day

• June 21 – First Day of Summer

• June 21 – Toy Story 4

FACEBOOK THIS

Simple weekend post: “What are you looking forward to in June?”

HEY KIDS, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BEER?

7-year-old children were asked what they thought of beer:

• “I think beer must be good. My dad says the more beer he drinks the prettier my mom gets.”

• “Beer makes my dad sleepy and we get to watch what we want on television when he is asleep, so beer is nice.”

• “My Mom and Dad talk funny when they drink beer and the more they drink the more they give kisses to each other, which is a good thing.”

• “My Dad gets funny on beer. He is funny. He also wets his pants sometimes, so he shouldn’t have too much.”

• “My Dad loves beer. The more he drinks, the better he dances. One time he danced right into the pool.”

• “I don’t like beer very much. Every time Dad drinks it, he burns the sausages on the barbecue and they taste disgusting.”

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: You will toss 253 pounds of what this year? (Food. That’s pounds per person.)

TRIVIA: Around 17,000 American men and 9,500 Canadian men are injured where each year? (In the kitchen)

BRAIN TEASER

Question: When traveling for two weeks Susan visited friends in China, Egypt, Holland, Sudan, and Scotland. While traveling, Susan did not use any form of air or water transportation — how did she do this?

Answer: Susan was traveling by car in the state of Texas. All of these destinations are cities in Texas.

ANSWER WRONG AND WIN

• Name the country that often goes by the nickname The Land Down Under.

• When canoeing on a river, what type of boat would you use?

• Name a planet that rhymes with ‘cars’.

• What do you call the person who sits at the front of a plane and guides it.

DATEBOOK: MAY 31, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Clint Eastwood is 89

• Sharon Gless (Cagney and Lacey) is 76

• Tom Berenger is 69

• Comedian Chris Elliott is 59

• Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City, Back to the Future) is 58

• DMC of Run-DMC is 55

• Brooke Shields is 54

• The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan is 52

• Colin Farrell is 43

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1678: Lady Godiva rode naked on horseback through the city of Coventry, England. According to legend, she made the ride as part of a bargain to get her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia, to ease taxes on the people of Coventry, England.

• 1884: Dr. John Harvey Kellogg of Battle Creek, Michigan, patented “flaked cereal.”

• 1943: The comic strip “Archie Andrews” debuted on the Mutual Radio Network. Archie, Veronica, Betty, Jughead, and the gang lasted on radio about five years.

• 1990: “The Seinfeld Chronicles” premiered as a summer series on NBC starring Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The pilot had aired in the previous July. Renamed just plain “Seinfeld,” the show lasted nine years.

• 1991: Australian Dudley Reid married Minnie Munro in Point Claire, New South Wales. Dudley was 83; Minnie was 102.

• 1998: Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell) rocked the British entertainment world when she announced she was leaving The Spice Girls.

• 2003: Air France’s superjet, the Concorde, returned to Paris in a final commercial flight.

• 2009: The last survivor of the Titanic died. Eliza Gladys “Millvina” Dean was born February 2, 1912 was a British civil servant and only two months old when the Titanic sank. Her older brother, mother and father were on their way to Kansas where her father’s cousin had a tobacco shop he was going to co-own. Mlillvina’s father died when Titanic sank and so her mother took the two children back to the UK.

• 2014: For her wake in Puerto Rico, the body of an 80-year-old woman was positioned in her favorite rocking chair wearing her wedding dress. Her daughter said her mother specified that this was how she imagined her wake.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Heat Awareness Day

• Save Your Hearing Day

• World No Tobacco Day

• June is Adopt-A-Shelter Cat Month, Dairy Month, Fireworks Safety Month, International Accordion Awareness Month, International Men’s Month, International People Skills Month, June is Perennial Gardening Month, National Candy Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Rose Month, National Seafood Month, National Soul Food Month, National Steakhouse Month, Potty Training Awareness Month, Prevent Cancer From The Sun Month, Turkey Lover’s Month.

UPCOMING

• June 7: National Donut Day
• June 8: Belmont Stakes
• June 16: Father’s Day
• June 19: Juneteenth, the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery
• June 20: NBA draft
• June 21: NHL draft
• June 26: First Democratic debate, in Miami
• July 1: Wimbledon starts
• July 4: Independence Day
• July 5-6: World Wife Carrying Championship
• July 6: Tour de France starts
• July 8: MLB All-Star Game
• July 30: Second Democratic debate, in Detroit
• August 2: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally begins
• September 2: Labor Day

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

• Pat Boone is 85. Morgan Freeman is 82. Rene Auberjonois is 79. Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is 72. Country singer Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn is 66. Lisa Hartman Black is 63. Mark Curry is 58. Teri Polo is 50. Heidi Klum is 46. Alanis Morissette is 45. Amy Schumer is 38. Zazie Beetz is 28. Willow Shields is 19.

• Drawing Day or Pencil Day. Global Day of Parents. Heimlich Maneuver Day. National Black Bear Day. Go Barefoot Day. Olive Day. National Trails Day. Say Something Nice Day. World Milk Day. World Reef Day. Hazelnut Cake Day. June is Adopt-A-Shelter Cat Month, Dairy Month, Fireworks Safety Month, International Accordion Awareness Month, International Men’s Month, International People Skills Month, June is Perennial Gardening Month, National Candy Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Rose Month, National Seafood Month, National Soul Food Month, National Steakhouse Month, Potty Training Awareness Month, Prevent Cancer From The Sun Month, Turkey Lover’s Month.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2

• Sally Kellerman is 82. Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones is 78. Jerry Mathers is 71. Dennis Haysbert is 65. Dna Carvey is 64. Wayne Brady is 47. Zachary Quinto is 42. Dominic Cooper is 41. Nikki Cox is 41. Justin Long is 41.

• Animal Rights Day. National Bubba Day. Cancer Survivors Day. Gun Violence Awareness Day. Rocky Road Ice Cream Day. Rotisserie Chicken Day.