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INTERPREP PRO ★ APRIL 17, 2020

Audio • Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number • TV • Wacky-But-True

DATEBOOK: APRIL 17, 2020

BIRTHDAYS

• Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) is 61

• Jennifer Garner is 48

• Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls (Posh Spice) is 46

• Rooney Mara (Mary Magdalene, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is 35

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1865: Mary Surratt was arrested as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

• 1907: Ellis Island immigration center processed 11,747 people, more than any other day.

• 1964: The Ford Motor Company unveiled the Ford Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. Base price was $2,368. Check out the April 12 issue for more facts and trivia about the first Ford Mustangs.

• 1964: The FBI lab reported that it could not determine the lyrics on the Kingmen’s recording “Louie Louie.”

• 1970: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returned safely to Earth.

• 1973: Federal Express delivered its first package.

• 1980: Police in Lansing, Michigan, arrested three adult sisters for running around their neighborhood nude after smearing their bodies with mustard. The ladies said they were looking for the Garden of Eden.

• 2003: A 34-year-old research scientist who’d had too much to drink stumbled home and fell asleep in a house where he had lived seven years earlier. Police were called when a teenager came home to find the intruder asleep in the teenager’s bed in Axbridge, England. Police took the scientist to his own home and did not file charges.

• 2013: 15 people were killed and 100 were injured after a fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas.

• 2014: NASA’s Kepler space observatory confirmed the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Bat Appreciation Day

• Ford Mustang Day

• Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day

• Cheeseball Day

• Kickball Day

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

• Hayley Mills is 74. James Woods is 73. Rick Moranis is 67. Eric Roberts is 64. Jane Leeves is 59. Jeff Dunham is 58. Conan O’Brien is 57. Eric McCormack (Will and Grace) is 57. Maria Bello is 53. Melissa Joan Hart is 44. Kourtney Kardashian is 41. America Ferrera is 36. Vanessa Kirby is 32. Alia Shawkat is 31. Chloe Bennet is 28.

• Adult Autism Day. Husband Appreciation Day. Record Store Day (postponed to June 20). Auctioneers Day. Animal Crackers Day.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19

• Tim Curry is 74. Ashley Judd is 52. Jennifer Esposito is 48. James Franco is 42. Kate Hudson is 41. Hayden Christensen is 39. Ali Wong is 38.

• Bicycle Day. Garlic Day. Poker Day.

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

105: Amount, in dollars, the average person would pay to know what dogs are saying when they bark.

NEWS ATTACK!

The White House has unveiled a three-phase plan for reopening the country. [Hopefully none of them involve getting on a cruise ship.]

When it comes to reopening the country the president told governors Thursday they would call their own shots. [‘Shots’ is the right word considering our economy feels like it’s hung over.]

There’s a lot of speculation over who Joe Biden will choose as his running mate. [Fauci. Paging Dr. Fauci.]

A group of seven governors will work in close coordination to reopen the Midwest regional economy. [They’ll begin with a celebratory meal at Steak n Shake.]

A 99-year-old World War II veteran did 100 laps in his garden to raise millions for charity. [Then I can definitely get off the couch so the pizza guy doesn’t have to deliver to my coffee table.]

Research shows a link between snoring and a decline in mental ability. [It may have something to do with how many times your spouse hits you in the head to stop your snoring.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

THE PLAN TO REOPEN THE US ECONOMY _ The Trump White House on Thursday announced a three-phase plan to reopen the U.S. economy.

… In Phase One of the Opening Up America Again plan, all vulnerable individuals should continue to shelter in place, social and physical distancing should still be practiced in public, non-essential travel should be minimized, and teleworking should continue to occur where possible.

Phase Two, which can only begin after a community shows no evidence of rebound or surge in new cases, would allow “large venues,” including “sit-down dining, movie theaters, sporting venues, places of worship” to operate under “moderate physical distancing protocols.” Schools and organized youth activities can reopen, bars can operate with “diminished standing-room occupancy,” gyms can reopen with “strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols,” and elective surgeries can resume.

… Phase Three allows for visits to senior care facilities and hospitals, gyms to reopen with “standard sanitation protocols” and bars to operate with “increased standing room occupancy, where applicable.” The aforementioned large venues — sit-down dining, movie theaters, sporting venues and places of worship — will be able to operate with “limited physical distancing protocols.”

… The decision on whether to open up businesses again ultimately falls to each state’s governor.

THE ‘SAFEST PLACE’ FROM CORONAVIRUS IN AMERICA? _ The safest place from the coronavirus in the US might be a tiny town on an off-the-beaten-path peninsula connected to Canada south of Vancouver. The 1,300 or so residents of Point Roberts — which is part of Washington state but not directly connected to the US mainland — have not been affected by the pandemic so far. Because the US-Canadian border is shut, Point Roberts is like an island right now.

… The isolated town — about 135 miles northwest of Seattle — may be reached by boat, flying into its single-runway airport or driving past two international border crossings through the southwest corner of Canada.

… Local Fire Chief Christopher Carleton said that on a typical weekend last year, the town would see about 2,000 vehicles travel over its border — but that number has now dropped below 100. Residents can still cross the border for essential travel, including for medical appointments and to pick up prescriptions, but any outsider trying to get into the town would have a tough time getting past border agents.

SOME STIMULUS CHECKS WERE DEPOSITED INTO WRONG BANK ACCOUNTS _ Some Americans say they haven’t gotten their coronavirus stimulus checks because the feds sent the money to the wrong bank accounts. Several taxpayers tried to check the status of their payments on the Internal Revenue Service’s website only to discover the agency put the money in accounts they didn’t recognize or no longer use.

… An IRS spokeswoman (Jodie Reynolds) said money should be rejected by banks and returned to the IRS if it was deposited in the wrong account. If that happens the IRS will cut a paper check.

CAPTAIN TOM RAISED $20 MILLION* FOR NHS _ Tom Moore, the 99-year-old war veteran raising funds for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) by walking 100 lengths of his garden, completed the challenge Thursday and raised more $20 million* in donations. Moore walked the last 10 lengths of his garden on Thursday morning, aided by a walker. Moore began the fundraiser on April 8, initially hoping to raise around $1,200. More than 648,000 individual donations were made to his JustGiving. * CHECK AMOUNT

A 106-YEAR-OLD WOMAN RECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS _ A 106-year-old great grandmother in the UK has beat coronavirus. Three weeks after testing positive for COVID-19, Connie Titchen was discharged from Birmingham City Hospital. Titchen, who was born in September 1913 and has lived through two World Wars, was admitted in mid-March with suspected pneumonia. She was diagnosed with coronavirus soon afterwards.

FACEBOOK TO WARN USERS WHO ‘LIKED’ CORONAVIRUS HOAXES _ Facebook will soon let you know if you saw or interacted with dangerous coronavirus misinformation on the site. The new notice will be sent to users who have liked, reacted to, or commented on posts featuring harmful or false claims about COVID-19 after they have been removed by moderators. The alert, which will start appearing on Facebook in the coming weeks, will direct users to a site where the World Health Organization lists and debunks virus myths and rumors

WALMART AND SAM’S CLUB ARE TEAMING UP WITH FEEDING AMERICA _ There are many ways to donate to charities and non-profit organizations for their COVID-19 relief efforts and now big name companies are joining the efforts. Walmart and Sam’s Club are teaming up with Feeding America through May 11 to donate. Walmart kickstarted the partnership with a $3 million donation to Feeding America and its member food banks. Walmart shoppers can donate directly on Walmart’s website, or purchase grocery items from participating suppliers.

… For each item purchased from a Walmart or Sam’s Club, the monetary equivalent of one meal will be donated to Feeding America.

PAPER TOWELS MORE EFFECTIVE AT REMOVING VIRUSES THAN HAND DRYERS _ We knew it! We’ve mentioned past studies that say hand dryers in restrooms stink. They don’t dry your hands and, more importantly, they blow droplets off your hands and onto your clothes, the floor, your purse, etc. New research (University of Leeds) once again shows that using paper towels is substantially more effective than jet dryers for removing microbes when still contaminated hands are dried.

BUSCH OFFERING FREE BEER TO COUPLES WHOSE WEDDINGS WERE POSTPONED _ Has your wedding been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic? If so, Busch Beer wants to give you free beer for an entire year. Here’s how it works: post a photo of you and your significant, explain how you’re planning to commemorate the big day when it (eventually) arrives and use the hashtags #BuschWeddingGift and #Sweepstakes. The contest ends at 11:59 PM on May 1. 250 winners will be selected in a random drawing on May 2.

… The beer company says those who aren’t looking to get married can tag a friend and use #MyFriendsWedding and #Sweepstakes for a chance to win Busch merchandise. Those 50 winners will also be selected on May 2.

IDAHO FARM GAVE AWAY POTATOES FOR FREE _ Tough decisions, that’s what a lot of businesses are dealing with as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy. One decision for Idaho farmers, what to do with all the crops that they can’t use. Some have been forced to simply throw it away. Cranney Farms in Idaho has thousands of potatoes they were expecting to sell. But with no market for the potatoes, Cranney Farms decided they would share their crop, and advertised on Facebook with two words: “Free potatoes.”

… Cranney says that a majority of potatoes go into food service. A lot of the product, for example, ends up being French fries. With schools and restaurants closed, there’s less of a market for potatoes.

OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING _ Sunday is the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. Perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing happened at 9:02 am and killed at least 168 people, injured more than 680 others, and destroyed one-third of the building. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, and destroyed or burned 86 cars, causing an estimated $652 million worth of damage.

… 🎧 This is part of a tape recording from a machine in an office. The voice you hear is Lou Klaver, an official at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board opening a routine hearing on an application to pump and bottle water.

THE PATH TO FRAILTY BEGINS AS EARLY AS 40 _ The term “frail” is usually reserved for elderly individuals over the age of 65. Characterized by general weakness, delicacy, and increased susceptibility to illness, frailty isn’t something most people even consider as a possibility for themselves during middle age. However, a new study (Flinders University) finds that the path to frailty actually begins in many people as young as 40 years old. Researchers say that “pre-frailty” occurs in an astounding 45 percent of 40- to 49-year-olds.

… What should one look out for as indicators of pre-frailty? Poor balance, weak legs, weak trunk stability (the ability to control spinal and pelvic posture), diminished foot sensations, being underweight, poor nutrition. If any of these descriptions apply to you, researchers recommend you do your best to address the issue, no matter your age. Ignoring these conditions could lead to serious frailty later in life.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: OVER 60 PERCENT OF AMERICANS CONSIDER THEIR CAR A FRIEND _ Americans spend an average of 18 full days in their car every year, so it’s not a big surprise that 64 percent of us consider our car a friend.

… Over a third of Americans would rather themselves get a scratch than their car, while another 15 percent would rather break a bone in their own body than have their car break down.

… One in five (21 percent) would rather spend an entire day in jail than have their car get totaled, and a wild 13 percent of Americans would actually break up with their partner before parting with their car.

… 44 percent have named their car.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ATTENDS MEETING FROM HOT TUB _ Many of us are getting a bit more casual at work meetings because we’re attending them via video conference from home. Then there’s North Oaks, Minnesota, city council member Martin Long, who recently attended a council meeting from his hot tub. About an hour into the April 9 teleconferenced council meeting, the camera on Long starts to move, and it’s apparent that he’s gone outside. He sits down somewhere outside of his house and after a few minutes, he disappears briefly and then reappears and his polo shirt is gone. For a few minutes, the small window showing Long reveals his bare shoulders. A little later, he puts his shirt back on. Then after he’s recognized to speak by the town’s mayor, Long has trouble unmuting his microphone. He finally says, “I’m trying. My fingers are wet. I’m in the hot tub.” He then holds up a pair of goggles and a toy boat.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ASSAULT WITH FROZEN SAUSAGE _ A driver in the UK suffered a broken nose after a frozen sausage was thrown through an open window of his car. After the sausage assault, the man managed to stop his car without hitting anyone else.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: U-HAUL TRUCK FIRE _ A mysterious fire at a U-Haul truck rental lot in Eugene, Oregon, was solved after police viewed security camera video of what happened. In the video, a man in a vehicle and a woman standing at his window can be seen having an argument. At one point, the man lit a small firework and tossed it toward the woman. The video shows she ducked, and it hit the ground and exploded in sparks. The man then drives away. The couple apparently didn’t know there was another man under one of the trucks stealing gasoline from it. He spilled some on the pavement, and the firework lit it on fire, which eventually spread to four trucks; two of them were destroyed.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FORGET THE PANDEMIC… CLEAN YOUR DRIVEWAY _ 78-year-old Carol Yerdon got a letter from her homeowners association, which included a picture of her dirty driveway. Despite the stay-at-home order in her Florida county (Osceola County), the HOA demanded she clean her driveway. Because of the pandemic, Yerdon’s daughter tried to reason with the HOA, but the organization’s demand still applied, and the family would face additional actions if they didn’t send pictures of a clean driveway by the end of the week. The next day, a neighbor found a pressure-cleaning company for the Yerdons.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRIVER RUNS, LEAVES BEHIND PHONE AND DRUGS _ Police in England received reports of a reckless driver. Officers pursued the vehicle, but it stopped and the occupants ran. But they left behind their mobile phones, a quantity of cash, and a plastic tub containing drugs.

ON TELEVISION

FRIDAY

MACGYVER (8p ET, CBS) — New. Mac is put into a dream state to help him recall key evidence found in Nikola Tesla’s secret lab.

SHARK TANK (8p ET, ABC) — New.

THE BLACKLIST (8p ET, NBC) — New. A blacklist case forces Liz to choose sides between Red and the Task Force.

WWE SMACKDOWN (8p ET, FOX) — New.

CHARMED (8p ET, CW) — New.

MAGNUM P.I. (9p ET, CBS) — New. Magnum and Higgins are undercover as a couple on a romantic bus tour working a case.

20/20 (9p ET, ABC) — A new, 2-hour edition.

DYNASTY (9p ET, CW) — New.

DATELINE (10p ET, NBC) — New.

PREMIERE: FRIDAY NIGHT IN WITH THE MORGANS(10p ET, AMC) — This new weekly series, hosted by husband-wife duo Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton from their farm in upstate New York, will feature guests via video chat discussing how they’re handling life in quarantine and what they’re doing to help their communities. Guests will include Morgan’s fellow The Walking Dead cast members Christian Serratos and Sarah Wayne Callies, as well as Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton, and Jensen Ackles and his wife Danneel.

SERIES FINALE: STRIKE BACK (10p ET, Cinemax) — After eight seasons, this action drama ends its run.

#BLACKAF (Netflix) — From the creator of black-ish, Kenya Barris, this new comedy stars Barris and Rashida Jones (Parks and Rec). The show is based on Barris’s life and his unorthodox parenting style, with Jones as his wife and the mother of their six children. Guest stars for the season include Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ava DuVernay, and Tyler Perry.

BOSCH (Amazon Prime) — Titus Welliver returns in new episodes of this crime drama based on Michael Connelly’s series of novels.

SERGIO (Netflix) — This new biographical drama is about United Nations diplomat Sérgio Vieira de Mello,and focuses on his assignment in Baghdad after the US invasion of Iraq. Garret Dillahunt, Brían F. O’Byrne, Will Dalton, and Bradley Whitford star.

HOME (Apple TV+) — This new documentary series tours the world’s most innovative homes.

SATURDAY

ONE WORLD: TOGETHER AT HOME (ABC, NBC, CBS, CW and more, streaming on Amazon, Facebook, and YouTube) — Presented by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization and curated by Lady Gaga, this 2-hour special will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert. Stars set to appear (remotely) include: Elton John, Billie Eilish, Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Burna Boy, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Eddie Vedder, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kerry Washington, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Maluma, Paul McCartney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan and Stevie Wonder.

… Additional stars set to participate include: Alicia Keys, Amy Poehler, Awkwafina, Camila Cabello, Celine Dion, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, LL Cool J, Lupita Nyong’o, Matthew McConaughey, Oprah Winfrey, Pharrell Williams, Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Usher and Victoria Beckham.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — Repeat.

SUNDAY

AMERICAN IDOL (8p ET, ABC) — New. A deeper look into the lives of the top 21 contestants, including never-before-seen performances.

GOD FRIENDED ME (8p ET, CBS) — New. Miles weighs the consequences of carrying out the God Account’s wishes when his new friend suggestion alleges Miles ruined his life.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (9p ET, CBS) — New. NCIS helps a former NCIS tech operator search for her missing ex-partner, when they fear he might be working with the gun runners.

THE WALL (8p ET, NBC) — New.

ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (9p ET, NBC) — New. Zoey surprisingly finds herself getting into major conflict with Simon, Max, Mo and even Howie.

PREMIERE: THE LAST DANCE (9p ET, ESPN) — Originally set to premiere in June, this 10-part docuseries about Michael Jordan and his final season with the Chicago Bulls will air in two-hour installments over the next five Sundays. The Last Dance features never-before-seen footage from the ’97-98 Bulls season and interviews with Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, and many more. ESPN will air the uncensored version, while ESPN2 will air a family friendly bleeped version of the curse words.

NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (10p ET, CBS) — New. The team investigates the death of a Naval microbiologist whose hobby as a “myth buster” resulted in his death.

GOOD GIRLS (10p ET, NBC) — New. Beth decides to find a solution to her Rio problem once and for all after he backs her into a corner.

ENTERTAINMENT

BRIAN DENNEHY DIES AT 81 _ Actor Brian Dennehy died Wednesday of natural causes. The veteran actor guest starred on a number of 1970s TV shows before landing a recurring role on Dynasty in 1981. Dennehy was a five-time Emmy nominee who won a Golden Globe playing Willy Loman in the 2000 TV movie Death of a Salesman. In recent years, Dennehy had parts on Public Morals, Hap and Leonard and most recently on The Blacklist as Elizabeth Keen’s grandfather.

… His big breakout movie role was as Sheriff Teasle in Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo action flick, First Blood. He’d go on to star in several films in the ’80s and ’90s, including Silverado, Cocoon, Best Seller, and Presumed Innocent. Brian’s most notable comedy role came in 1995, when he played Big Tom Callahan in the classic Chris Farley movie Tommy Boy.

MOVIE THEATERS INCLUDED IN PLAN TO REOPEN US ECONOMY _ The Trump White House on Thursday announced a three-phase plan to reopen the U.S. economy that includes the relaunch of movie theaters in the second phase.

… The decision on whether to open up businesses again ultimately falls to each state’s governor.

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE MAY END UP AS 2020’s TOP GROSSING FILM _ Bad Boys For Life may end up grossing more money at the box office than any other film of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on both the lives of people around the world and the global economy. In March, most movie theaters began locking doors to the public in an effort to help mitigate the spread of the virus. This box office shutdown has gone hand-in-hand with the delay of dozens of major films, many being pushed back as far as 2022. As one of the only major films to be released in theaters this year so far, Bad Boys For Life is on the track to be the biggest movie at the box office with its haul of $419 million. With its second-place ranking, Sonic the Hedgehog brought in $306 million.

… Everything could change if the world gets good news in the coming months. A rapid and substantial decline in COVID-19 cases could see a reduction in social distancing requirements, meaning businesses may begin to reopen and allow life to resume some sense of normalcy. In that case, it’s possible theater chains could open their doors for some of the big films set to be released later in the year, possibly leading to the action blockbuster losing its current crown.

FYRE FESTIVAL FOUNDER WANTS OUT OF PRISON _ The organizer behind Fyre Festival, the failed music festival that dissolved into chaos and left hundreds stranded on an island in the Bahamas, has requested to be released early from prison due to the spread of coronavirus. Billy McFarland has been behind bars since 2018, after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges related to the infamous event he set up a year earlier. In a letter filed Tuesday, McFarland is asking the federal judge who presided over his case to grant him compassionate release from prison and let him serve the rest of his six-year sentence — of which four years still remain — under home confinement.

… McFarland’s lawyers argue that the Fyre Festival organizer is at a higher risk to developing severe symptoms or dying from the coronavirus due to preexisting health conditions. According to court documents, McFarland has “extreme” allergies and asthma, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said puts individuals at greater risk.

HAIRDRESSER PAYS $50,000 TO CLONE HIS BULLDOG _ A hairdresser to the stars including Britney Spears has welcomed a cloned French bulldog. Celebrity hairdresser Roberto Novo shelled out $50,000 to clone his beloved French bulldog, who died on February 7 last year. The 61-year-old had Machito for 14 years. Machito’s genetic duplicate — who has been named Machitwo — arrived on February 7 this year, exactly one year after Machito died.

HGTV ORDERS REMOTELY FILMED HOME RENOVATION SHOW _ HGTV is launching a coronavirus quarantine-inspired show called Design at Your Door, where “desperate homeowners” will film themselves doing home renovation as experts give them advice remotely.

THE JOY OF PAINTING’S BOB ROSS GETS A ‘BOB ROSS CHANNEL’ _ The late painting instructor Bob Ross now has his own “channel”. The TV series is available on the ad-supported Bob Ross Channel on Samsung TVs and will become more widely available next month. Ross’ Joy of Painting is already free to watch on YouTube. • VIDEO

DISNEY RELEASED A VIDEO RIDE-THROUGH OF BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD _ In case you missed it, there are about a million videos floating around out there that capture the experience of going on some of the most iconic rides at the Disney Parks around the world. That’s all well and good, but this week, Disney released an official video of its own so you can take a virtual ride on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. • VIDEO

… If you’re not familiar, the ride takes passengers on a train ride through hills and mountains. Also, fun fact: The town you’re riding through is called “Tumbleweed.” Because it’s Disney, the video is also full of magical anecdotes. As you take your virtual ride on the clickety, clackety train, you’ll be treated to all sort of fun facts that appear on the screen.

STEPHEN KING SHARES NETFLIX RECOMMENDATIONS _ No matter how long the coronavirus-induced quarantines last, we’ll never run out of things to watch. Should you have already completed your personal watch list though, fear not, as internationally acclaimed horror and thriller writer Stephen King has you covered.

… By looking at his Twitter, someone has compiled King’s Netflix recommendations over the past couple of years. These include the zombie series Black Summer; the serial killer series Mindhunter; and the supernatural Hotel Beau Sejour.

… He also recommends Calibre, Cam, Dracula, Fauda, Le Mante, Money Heist, The Stranger and Pine Gap.

ANDY RICHTER TO HOST A LIVE WEEKLY ANIMATION DOMINATION RECAP SHOW _ Conan sidekick Andy Richter will host a new show called Anidom Beyond Show on social broadcasting platform Caffeine starting Sunday night. The hourlong program will feature interviews with the cast and crew of Fox animated series The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Bless the Harts, Duncanville and more. Viewers will be able to interact live with Richter.

BITS & BREAKS

WHY YOU SHOULD SLEEP IN THE NUDE

Before you slip under the covers, strip off your clothes. Because science says so!

• You’ll Have Better Skin. It’s good for your skin, which likes to breathe. Especially if you tend to sweat at night, sleeping without clothes can be a great idea.

• You’ll Regulate Your Hormones. Sleeping naked can help regulate your cortisol levels because your body remains cooler than when it’s clothed. Cortisol can creep up when the body gets too warm, leading to anxiety, food cravings, and weight gain.

• You’ll Get a Better Night’s Sleep. Not getting tangled up in clothing makes for a more comfortable night’s rest. A better night’s sleep makes for a better day ahead.

• You’ll Feel Happier. For those who don’t sleep solo, enjoying skin-on-skin contact with your partner on a consistent basis increases the release of oxytocin. Oxytocin is the feel good hormone which boosts our mood and make us happier overall.

WHAT DO YOU WISH YOUR SPOUSE WOULD GET RID OF?

What’s the thing your spouse owns you wish he or she would get rid of? An old shirt? A favorite chair? Some old slippers?

• My husband has an ugly green shirt that is faded and falling apart. I am thinking of just throwing it out and telling him it fell apart in the laundry!

• His boat. It’s a money pit.

• His tons of pictures of an old girlfriend!

• His recliner — it’s got a spring poking out of the back, and it doesn’t match the rest of the furniture!

• All her Cardinals gear. I would not be sad at all if something mysteriously happened to it all.

• Nothing now. When we moved his Harley Davidson lamps (which didn’t work) mysteriously disappeared.

• The “used car lot” that’s out in my driveway! One more “fixer-upper”and the city is gonna go nuts.

TOP BOARD GAMES PEOPLE ARE BUYING ON AMAZON

A lot of people are buying board games online as they try to find ways to pass the time while staying safe at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. Here are the top board games being purchased on Amazon.

10. Scrabble. The word-creation classic.

9. Guess Who. This is a two player game where opponents attempt to guess which character out of 24 possibilities their opponent has picked.

8. Catan the Board Game. A civilization building game is for three to four players.

7. Battleship With Planes. This classic head-to-head strategy game has a little twist as it features airplanes in addition to ships.

6. Zingo. This twist on Bingo is geared for the little ones in your family who can’t read yet or are just starting to read.

5. Sequence. This game of strategy is all about getting five in a row.

4. Codenames. Teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first.

3. Monopoly. No explanation necessary.

2. Sorry. Each player gets four pawns to move around the board.

1. Connect 4. Choose which colored discs you want, gold or red. Then, drop them one at at time into the grid, alternating with your opponent. The first player to get four discs in a row wins.

… You could also go for some smarter games by buying the Mensa organization’s top 2019 picks. They have five games in their ‘select’ category and five in their ‘recommended’ category.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: It costs $70,000 to train one of these. (A Navy Seal dog)

TRIVIA: Uganda’s is the shortest, Greece has the longest. (National anthem)

TRIVIA: A study says doing this relaxes women and boosts their happiness more than shopping. (Watching a favorite TV program)

TRIVIA: The average person will do this 17 times in their life. (Run over animals with their car)

BREAKFAST BINGO

Five questions. Each answer begins with the corresponding letter in the word BINGO.

• A round sandwich meat that’s a staple of kids’ lunches. (Baloney)

• When we want to come up with new ideas we use our what? (Imagination)

• So we think they are healthier, many products claim they are all what? (Natural)

• Where you grow vegetables. (Garden)

• In a game, the other team is called your… (Opponent)

DATEBOOK: APRIL 20, 2020

BIRTHDAYS

• George Takei (Star Trek) is 83

• Jessica Lange is 71

• Clint Howard is 61

• Crispin Glover is 56

• Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) is 56

• Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds) is 50

• Carmen Electra is 48

• Joey Lawrence (Blossom, Brotherly Love) is 44

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1896: The first movie was shown at Koster and Bials Music Hall in New York City. Up until this time, people saw films individually by looking into a kinetoscope. This was the first time in the U.S. that an audience sat in a theater and watched a movie together.

• 1889: Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau, Austria.

• 1916: Chicago Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park — now Wrigley Field. They defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-6.

• 1980: The first Cubans sailing to the United States as part of the massive Mariel boatlift reached Florida.

• 1999: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School located in Jefferson County, Colorado.

• 2006: Residents in the English town of Luckington started making extra money by charging to pull drivers out of a river that they were accidentally driving into because of a mistake in a satellite navigation system.

• 2008: Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.

• 2010: An oil rig run by British Petroleum exploded in the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, resulting in the largest off-shore oil spill in U.S. history. The fire and explosions on the platform killed 11 workers and injured 17.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• 4/20 Day

• Pot Smokers Day or National Weed Day

• Dictionary Day

• Cheddar Fries Day

• Pineapple Upside-down Cake Day

INTERPREP ★ NOVEMBER 26, 2019

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: NOVEMBER 26, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Tina Turner is 80

• Kristin Bauer (True Blood) is 53

• Jessica Camacho (Taken, The Flash) is 37

• Rita Ora is 29

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1789: A national Thanksgiving Day was observed in the United States as recommended by President George Washington and approved by Congress.

… On this day in 1941 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

• 1842: The University of Notre Dame was founded.

• 1917: The National Hockey League was formed, with the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas as its first teams.

• 1942: The film Casablanca opened in theaters, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

• 2004: Police in Minnesota were looking for a blow-up figure of SpongeBob SquarePants that was stolen from a Burger King. They found a ransom note which read, “We have SpongeBob” and demanded ten Crabby Patties, fries and milkshakes.

• 2013: Dennis Rodman was named Least Influential Person of the Year by GQ magazine.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Cake Day

UPCOMING

• November 27: Hanksgiving. Always the day before Thanksgiving, Hanksgiving is a day to give thanks for one of the world’s most beloved actors, Tom Hanks.
• November 27-29: Karaoke World Championships in Tokyo, Japan
• November 28: Thanksgiving
• November 29: Black Friday
• November 29: Jingle Bell Jump
• November 30: Small Business Saturday
• December 3: Giving Tuesday
• December 4: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting
• December 19: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters
• December 25: Christmas Day
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 5: Golden Globes
• January 13: College Football National Championship in New Orleans
• January 26: Grammy Awards
• February 2: Super Bowl
• February 9: 92nd Academy Awards
• February 14: Valentine’s Day (Friday)
• September 16, 2084: Asteroid ‘2019 SU3’ could hit Earth.

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

375: White Castle restaurants in the U.S. For comparison, Subway has around 24,000 in the U.S.

NEWS ATTACK!

The weather service predicts that bad weather could hamper your travel for Thanksgiving. [The bad news is it won’t hamper it enough.]

A man in India underwent a 2-hour procedure to have 50 maggots removed from his nose and sinuses. [Well, I hope it was worth all that just to get into that fraternity.]

A study finds that people weigh less on Fridays. [I bet that won’t apply this Friday.]

Black Friday is coming up. [I’m so excited I stood outside the Target for three hours yesterday just for practice.]

Fashion experts say the holidays are the worst time for keeping clothes clean. Thanks to all the extra special meal-focused events, we’re more likely to spill wine or gravy on our nice shirt or dress. [Here’s a tip: If you get a gravy stain on your tablecloth, don’t throw it away. Soak the whole tablecloth in gravy, let it dry and it’s like brand new again. Works great with ties too.]

At a movie memorabilia auction the piano from Casablanca went for over $3 million. The Cowardly Lion costume from The Wizard of Oz went for over $3

The Butterball Turkey hotline is getting busy. [Lots of people are calling in to make sure it’s okay to text while they’re basting their turkey.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

DEMAND FOR HEMP, CBD OIL COULD LEAD TO CHRISTMAS TREE SHORTAGE _ If you love live Christmas trees, you might want to get yours early. Apparently there could be a shortage … because of CBD oil? Apparently some tree growers are being tempted by faster-growing, more profitable crops like hemp, which is used to make CBD oil. It’s also more profitable to grow carrots and hazelnuts, which are much easier with a quicker turnaround.

🎧 AUDIO – BANNED BABY NAMES: ICELAND REJECTS LUCIFER _ Add Lucifer to the long list of baby names banned in Iceland. The controversial choice was recently rejected by the Icelandic Naming Committee after parents tried to give it to their newborn son. Commenting on its decision, the Committee stated: “Since the name Lucifer is one of the devil’s names, the Naming Committee believes it could cause the bearer embarrassment. Besides, the spelling of the name Lucifer cannot be considered in accordance with the general spelling rules of the Icelandic language, since the letter c is not part of the Icelandic alphabet.”

… The remote Nordic country has some of the strictest naming laws in the world. Icelandic parents must choose from a pre-approved list of baby names, or else apply for permission to use a name not yet listed. Other baby names rejected by the Naming Committee in the past year include Ariel, Lady and Zelda for girls, and Aryan, Ezra and Sezar for boys.

… In the U.S. last year 26 babies were named Lucifer.

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What’s the strangest names someone’s given their kid?

🎧 AUDIO – WOMAN SAYS ULTRASOUND LOOKS LIKE IMAGE OF LATE FATHER KISSING DAUGHTER _ A San Diego woman says her ultrasound revealed what appears to be the image of her late father kissing her daughter. At five months pregnant, Shantel Carrillo posted a photo on social media — and people quickly chimed in saying it looked like “an angel” was kissing her daughter. Carrillo quickly realized it wasn’t just anyone gracing the photo, she believes it was her late father. She grabbed an older photo of her father with her first daughter. Side by side, she says the resemblance is uncanny. Carrillo’s dad Chuck passed away in 2016.

NYC BAR SELLING 160 OUNCE SPIKED HOT CHOCOLATE FOR $3,000 _ When you need some buzz about your Manhattan, New York, bar the quick move is an overpriced cocktail. 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar in Manhattan is offering up a massive 160 ounce spiked hot chocolate featuring gold shavings, Amedei Porcelana Dark Chocolate (often called the world’s most expensive chocolate), housemade whipped cream, marshmallows, and premium melted cocoas and liquors. The cost: $3,000 dollars.

MAN INVENTS NEW DATING APP WHERE HE IS THE ONLY AVAILABLE GUY ON IT _ Dating is tough. With apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Farmers Only and more making it easier than ever to meet somebody, it still feels complicated. For one North Carolina man, that answer was simple. Aaron Smith has made a new dating app where every profile is his own. Women can join the app, but every profile they swipe through will feature one man, inventor Aaron Smith. • VIDEO

1 IN 4 AMERICANS ARE TIRED OF TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING FOOD _ Nothing evokes feelings and memories of Thanksgiving quite like a turkey fresh out of the oven, with some stuffing and cranberry sauce on the side. But, are these foods being served each year more out of habit and tradition than anything else? A new survey has revealed that more than a quarter (26%) have grown weary of the usual Thanksgiving food options and would like to see some new cuisine on the menu this year. How can you grow weary of a feast that happens only once a year? We eat pizza every week but turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie once a year is too much?

THE PERFECT WORK/REST RATIO: 57 ON, 17 OFF _ There are benefits to taking work breaks. Your body and mind benefit from these breaks, which keep you energized so that you may tackle the rest of your day. But what’s the the perfect work/rest ratio? And app called DeskTime played Big Brother, monitoring employees’ computer use. They found the most productive 10 percent worked hard for 52 minutes, then took a break for 17. It’s backed by scientists, pointing to the natural rhythms of our attention span. Our brain can focus for up to 90 minutes, then needs roughly 20 minutes of rest.

RARE BABE RUTH ROOKIE CARD SELLS FOR $110,000 AT AUCTION _ A Babe Ruth rookie card recently sold for more than $110,000 at auction. The rare card features advertising for Herpolsheimer’s clothing store, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer. Herpolsheimer’s distributed the cards 20 at a time to children in their area for 10 weeks. The rare find was sold to an anonymous buyer from Northern California for $110,612, according to the auction house.

TWO SISTER DIVORCEES HOLD YARD SALE TO START FRESH _ Two Sacramento sister divorcees are saying “out with the old” by selling all of the “stuff” from their last relationships. From instruments to formal dining, sisters Anna Sierra and Theresa Plyler held their yard sale Saturday. Their Craigslist post called it the Two Sisters Divorcing Yard Sale.

EXERCISE PREPARES US FOR STRESS _ For years doctors have recommended exercise to enhance our moods. And we can thank a group of overworked rodents for helping to find out why. Researchers (at Princeton University) conducted a study comparing sedentary rats with active ones. Both were dunked in cold water. It turns out that even though all the rats were equally stressed out swimming around in frigid water, the brain activity of the more active rats was calmer overall. The scientists say the rats had created, through running, a brain that seemed biochemically, molecularly, calm.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: OBVIOUS: WINTER IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH, APPEARANCE, AND SEX LIFE _ Winter is bad for your health, appearance and your sex life. A poll of 2,000 adults found the cold and dark winter months result in an increase in illnesses, a lower mood and an overall lack of motivation. People in the survey said they have less energy, struggle to wake up, have sore and achy joints and muscles, and are more likely to consume unhealthy or sugary foods than in the summer months.

… Overall, 46% of adults think winter is bad for their health.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STUCK IN A CHIMNEY _ A man who got stuck in a pawn shop chimney for two days was arrested after being pulled out. Fire department rescuers in Spain found the man stuck 20 feet down the two-story chimney. It took two hours to get him out. The pawn shop’s owner called police when he noticed a drain pipe crushed and a phone line knocked off the outside wall when he opened up.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SAID WIND BLEW COCAINE INTO HIS CAR _ A Florida man was arrested after police found a baggie of cocaine in his car. The man was pulled over after he failed to stop at a stop sign. When police found a clear baggie with white residue the man said that it didn’t belong to him and the “wind must have placed it there.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SHOPLIFTING MOMS TRY TO BLAME BABIES _ Police in Holland caught two women shoplifting clothes in a store and both women tried to blame it on their babies. They said the babies must have hidden the clothes in their strollers, but the cops didn’t believe them because one was only a year old and the other 14 months.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ARROW MISSES TARGET, HITS NEIGHBOR IN THE KNEE _ An Illinois (Aurora) man was arrested after a hunting arrow missed its practice target and landed in the knee of a neighbor across the street. Daniel Smorczewski was charged with a reckless conduct misdemeanor.

ON TELEVISION

NCIS (8p ET, CBS) — New. The team investigates a petty officer’s murder that was live-streamed on a popular gaming app.

THE VOICE (8p ET, NBC) — New. 9 artists are revealed as safe by America’s votes.

THE CONNERS (8p ET, ABC) — New. Jackie is faced with a difficult decision that brings the family and community together.

THE RESIDENT (8p ET, FOX) — New. When an A-list celebrity enters the hospital after swallowing a wishbone, Logan Kim assigns a new surgeon in the hopes of getting extra publicity.

THE FLASH (8p ET, CW) — New.

CHECK INN TO CHRISTMAS (8p ET, Hallmark Channel) — New holiday movie

BLESS THIS MESS (8:30p ET, ABC) — New. Rio tries to help Kay get over her jealousy of her sister (guest star Jessica St. Clair, American Housewife). Rita Moreno also guest stars.

DOLLY PARTON: 50 YEARS AT THE OPRY (9p ET, NBC) — This 2-hour special celebrate Dolly’s 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, as Dolly performs her biggest songs with Hank Williams Jr., Emmylou Harris, Dierks Bentley and more on the famous Opry stage in front of a live audience.

FBI (9p ET, CBS) — New. A teacher goes missing after an altercation with a student.

MIXED-ISH (9p ET, ABC) — New. Paul struggles when Rainbow and Santamonica want to participate in a beauty pageant.

EMPIRE (9p ET, FOX) — New. Cookie discovers an artist with raw talent whom Lucious dismissed years ago.

ARROW (9p ET, CW) — New.

BLACKISH (9:30p ET, ABC) — New. Dre and Bow are worried about Junior’s future working odd jobs.

NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (10p ET, CBS) — New. After Eddie Barrett (guest star Eddie Cahill) provides an alibi witness, team is more determined than ever to find a break in the case and avenge Lasalle’s murder.

EMERGENCE (10p ET, ABC) — New. The FBI arrives in Southold, complicating Jo’s efforts to find Emily.

RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS (10p ET, National Geographic) — New. Rob Riggle joins Bear on an adventure through Iceland’s Vatnajokull Glacier.

LINDSEY VONN: THE FINAL SEASON (10p ET, HBO) — This new documentary gets up close and personal with the champion skier as she chases one last record.

MIKE BIRBIGLIA (Netflix) — This new stand up special features the veteran comic sharing his thoughts on fatherhood.

ENTERTAINMENT

THE MANDALORIAN DETHRONED STRANGER THINGS _ Disney+’s The Mandalorian is the most in-demand original streaming series in the US. The live-action Star Wars series surpassed Netflix’s Stranger Things, which was at the top for 21 straight weeks.

… The Mandalorian isn’t just a hit with audiences — it has a 90% Rotten Tomatoes critic score after three episodes. Business Insider said in its review of the first episode that the series “proves ‘Star Wars’ can make the leap from movies to prestige TV.”

J.J. ABRAMS SAYS RISE OF SKYWALKER SCRIPT ENDED UP ON eBAY _ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker doesn’t arrive in theaters until December 19, but some savvy fans almost got a chance to find out the conclusion to the Skywalker saga early. Disney and Lucasfilm go through great lengths to keep anticipated movies shrouded in secrecy, but director J.J. Abrams revealed Monday that a real script ended up on eBay. Abrams told Good Morning America, “One of our actors, I won’t say which one — I want to, but I won’t — left it under their bed and it was found by someone who was cleaning their place. It was then given to someone else who went to sell it on eBay.” A Disney employee spotted the for-sale item before anyone could get their hands on it and got it back before it sold.

RUNTIME OF STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER _ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was originally said to have a runtime of 155 minutes, it now appears that that number wasn’t entirely accurate. J.J. Abrams explains that the runtime is actually a bit shorter, with the film clocking in at 141 minutes. This means that it won’t be the longest entry in the franchise anymore, with that honor still sitting with The Force Awakens and its 152 minutes.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER WAS COMPLETED SUNDAY _ Those of us not in the movie industry sorta kinda think when a movie’s first trailer comes out, the film is basically done. Maybe the opening and closing credits have to be finalized, and some color tweaking or sound effects have to be added. Apparently not. With just 26 days left until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens, director J.J. Abrams says some reshoots weren’t completed until this past Sunday.

NEW RISE OF SKYWALKER CLIP SHOWS SPEEDER BIKE _ A new clip from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has been released. from the film. The new clip depicts a Mad Max-reminiscent speeder bike chase in the deserts of a new planet, Pasaana. In the clip, four First Order troopers chase our scrappy band of Resistance heroes. The speeder bikes propel two jetpack-wearing troopers into the air. Finn yells, “They fly now?!”

🎧 AUDIO – SUGAR RAY’S MARK MCGRATH BREAKS UP WITH A WOMAN’S BOYFRIEND FOR HER _ Cameo is an app where everyday folks can pay celebrities to send personalized messages to whomever they please. That means you can give $65 bucks to TV personality Carson Kressley and he’ll wish you a happy birthday, or $135 to Ernie Hudson in the hopes that he’ll celebrate your anniversary in character as Ghostbusters’ Winston Zeddemore. • VIDEO

… Somebody named Cheyenne hired Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath to break up with their boyfriend and McGrath was game for it. McGrath informs “Brayden” that Cheyenne is “having difficulty staying in this long-distance relationship” and “wants to be friends right now, bro.”

FRIENDS THANKSGIVING MARATHON TO AIR ON TV _ All 10 Friendsgiving episodes will be shown on local TV channels on Thanksgiving Day. Find your local station that carries reruns of Friends. Eight of the Friendsgiving episodes were in theaters Sunday and Monday night.

HER WHEEL OF FORTUNE FLUB WENT VIRAL — SHE’S GETTING HER LOST PRIZE _ Kristen Shaw was just four words away from $1,950 and a trip to Nashville. But the Wheel of Fortune contestant instead said five words, and that extra word cost her the prize: The Maine woman, during the episode that was taped in October and aired Thursday, was supposed to read just the words on the board: “right,” “football,” “left,” “Sally.” Shaw knew the rule, but in the excitement of the moment, she inserted an “and” in between “left” and “Sally,” and host Pat Sajak regretfully informed her she had lost. The flub cost her a trip worth more than $8,000.

… LJ Whalen, a director at Nashville-based tourism company AdventureWorks, heard about Shaw’s story and decided to set things right by getting her a trip to Music City. He coordinated with hospitality companies in Nashville, and together the businesses offered Shaw plane tickets, hotel accommodations, and tickets to the Grand Ole Opry.

DAISY RIDLEY REPORTEDLY EYED FOR FEMALE LEAD OF SHERLOCK HOLMES 3 _ Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are finally set to return as Holmes and Watson for the third time. Fans have been waiting eight years and counting for another movie, but Sherlock Holmes 3 is at last about to enter production. And now we hear Daisy Ridley is being looked at for the female lead. If she proves unavailable, though, then Warner Bros will apparently consider actresses of a similar type.

NBC PEACOCK DETAILS _ NBC Peacock is an upcoming streaming service from NBC/Comcast. On Monday the new streaming service shared some details:

• NBC Peacock will launch in Spring 2020.

• It’s expected to offer a free (ad-supported) version as well as a paid version.

• Peacock will launch with around 15,000 hours of on-demand content. Its library consists mostly of classic shows from NBC, including The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and much more. It will also include lots of movies, including the Bourne series, Fast and Furious, Despicable Me, Meet the Parents and many more.

• There will be no contract or commitment.

• It will work on most devices, including streaming players and mobile devices.

• NBC Peacock will offer several originals and shows that will be exclusive to the platform. A few that have been announced so far

— Reboots of popular shows including Battlestar Galactica, Saved by the Bell and Punky Brewster.
— Original shows exclusive to Peacock, including Dr. Death, Brave New World, Rutherford Falls, Straight Talk and more.
— At least two talk shows, including one starring Jimmy Fallon (of The Tonight Show) and one starring Amber Ruffin (of Late Night with Seth Meyers).
— Original films and series from Dreamworks and Universal Pictures.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.

PHONER: Weird kid names. Iceland told some parents they can’t name their kid Lucifer (November 26 News & Nuggets). This file has real callers sharing real weird kid names.

TURKEY MODE: Country band Lady Antebellum did a spoof video of Old Town Road. Here’s a short, radio-ready clip that can be used as a bumper into your turkey talk breaks.

MARK McGRATH: Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath did a breakup video for fan. (November 26 Entertainment)

ULTRASOUND: A San Diego woman says her ultrasound revealed what appears to be the image of her late father kissing her daughter. (November 26 New & Nuggets)

WILLIE: 82-year-old Willie Murphy of Rochester explains how she took down an intruder. (November 25 Wacky-But-True)

BITS & BREAKS

THIS IS HOW TO BE THE ABSOLUTE WORST HOUSEGUEST

‘Tis the season to have houseguests… fa la la la laaa, la la la laaa. A new survey explored the concept of “guest room etiquette” and unveiled the biggest mistakes guests can commit while staying with a host.

Arrive unannounced or without an invitation: 49 percent
Snoop around: 48 percent
Break/damage host’s belongings: 48 percent
Leave a mess when departing: 45 percent
Be too loud: 45 percent
Smoke: 44 percent
Leave a mess in the bathroom: 40 percent
Stay up all night watching TV with volume up high: 39 percent
Come back drunk: 39 percent
Be too demanding: 39 percent

Top 10 worst things hosts say their guests have done

Slept in the living room naked.
Broke my couch.
Caught them taking money out of my wife’s purse.
Ate my leftovers from the fridge.
Got drunk and redid my Christmas decorations.
Left crushed Oreos all over my brand-new mattress.
Let a pet sleep in the bed with them.
Stole one of my Wii remotes.
Set the room on fire.
Punched a hole in the wall.

MALL SANTAS DESCRIBE WEIRD THINGS KIDS HAVE ASKED FOR

Santa is magical and has some crazy, time-traveling superpowers. How else is he able to spend time at so many shopping malls, seemingly simultaneously?! Well, he does it.

Mall Santa stopped by the website Reddit to share some of the weird things kids have asked for over the years:

• A fax machine

• A remote-controlled buffalo

• A unicorn starter kit

• Uranium

• Fish and chips

• A Nordstrom gift card

• A flamethrower

TRENDING ON TWITTER: #WaysToRuinThanksgiving

• Bet the kids’ college fund on the Lions.

• Make a pregnancy announcement, and tell them you’ll be moving in with the baby’s father. Then apologize to your husband for having to find out this way.

• Demand more cowbell.

• Serve low-fat side dishes.

SIGNS IT WAS A MISTAKE TO HOST THANKSGIVING

Here are some signs that it was a mistake this year to host Thanksgiving at your house.

• You know it was a mistake to host Thanksgiving at your house when half your guests sit down for dinner and shout, “Aw crud, not turkey again!”

• You know it was a mistake to host Thanksgiving at your house when your niece brings over her new boyfriend: the inspector from the county health department.

• You know it was a mistake to host Thanksgiving at your house when everybody says, “You did such a good job we’re all coming back for Christmas!”

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Chocolate manufacturers use 34% of the world’s what? (Almonds)

TRIVIA: 80 percent of us rotate through the same three things every day. (Lunches)

TRIVIA: In Ireland the annual consumption of this food is over 15 pounds per person — the most of any nation. (Cereal)

TRIVIA: Uranus is the only known planet that spins in what way? (On its side; every other planet spins counter clockwise or clockwise.)

THE PSYCHIC GAME

You need two conferenced callers. Ask caller #1 these (or any) five questions:

• Is the next caller (#2) a man or a woman?

• What is their hair color?

• Do they have a college degree?

• In what state were they born?

• Do they like Mexican food?

… Next chat with #2 and see how many questions they match.

… It’s a game that’s a fun bit, so both get prizes.

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 26, 2019

• 1955: JOHNNY CASH scored his first top ten song with Cry, Cry, Cry.

• 2005: A CMT Crossroads episode featured KENNY ROGERS and Lionel Richie.

• 2007: BRAD PAISLEY, KEITH URBAN, JOSH TURNER and TIM McGRAW were all featured among People magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive as the issue hits newsstands.

• 2010: WILLIE NELSON was arrested in Sierra Blanca, Texas, for possession of six ounces of marijuana.

• 2011: Jennifer Nettles married Justin Miller in east Tennessee with SUGARLAND partner Kristian Bush in attendance.

• 2012: FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE was awarded a platinum single for Cruise.

• 2015: LOCASH performed the national anthem at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, where the NFL’s Chicago Bears beat the Packers.

LINDA DAVIS is 57. She sang with REBA MCENTIRE on Does He Love You and had top twenty hits with Some Things Are Meant To Be and I Wanna Remember This.

JOE NICHOLS is 43.

Former TRICK PONY singer Aubrey Collins is 32.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Visit the COUNTRY AUDIO PAGE for current and archived files.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

CHRIS YOUNG had a big year on the road in 2019, playing for more than 400,000 fans in three countries and 35 states. His Raised On Country Tour also included a record breaking crowd of 21,500 at its stop in Philadelphia.

DOLLY PARTON’s 50th anniversary performance at the Grand Ole Opry will air tonight (Tuesday) on NBC as part of a two hour special called Dolly Parton: 50 Years At The Grand Ole Opry. The show will also include archival footage of Dolly at the Opry through the years and interviews with artists she has inspired. Other performers for the show include DIERKS BENTLEY, LADY ANTEBELLUM, CHRIS JANSON, and HANK WILLIAMS JR.

CHRIS YOUNG and Gavin DeGraw film the latest episode of CMT Crossroads tonight (Tuesday) at The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee. The show will debut on CMT in early December.

BRAD PAISLEY will guest December 2 on Jimmy Kimmel and December 3 on The Talk to promote his ABC special Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special, airing December 3.

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE is partnering with Habitat For Humanity for a toy drive starting December 3. Fans can drop off a toy at the Nashville headquarters of Habitat For Humanity and pick up free drinks and snacks. Tyler and Brian of FGL will help distribute the toys in the Nashville area.

LADY ANTEBELLUM did a Thanksgiving-themed Old Town Road parody. A radio-ready short clip can be found on the Country Audio page.

THOMAS RHETT has a rule that any song he writes should be appropriate for his youngest daughter to listen to.

MIRANDA LAMBERT admits she’s struggled with weight loss, diet and exercise her entire life and while she’s in a comfortable place, she says there’s really no rhyme or reason to how she stays there. Miranda is the first to point out she may spend a couple weeks eating cheeseburgers and drinking beer, but when her stuff doesn’t fit, she’ll spend a month in some exercise routine and watch she eats to take the weight off.

MIRANDA LAMBERT’s new single is a winner. Check out Bluebird.

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 27, 2019

• 1941: EDDIE RABBITT was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died of lung cancer on May 7, 1998.

• 2002: TIM MCGRAW’s first network television special, Sing Me Home, aired on NBC.

• 2006: MONTGOMERY GENTRY’s Troy Gentry plead guilty in Duluth, Minnesota, to a misdemeanor charge involving his killing of a captive black bear in 2004. As a result of the plea, he paid a $15,000 fine and forfeited the animal’s hide. Additionally, Troy was banned from hunting, fishing or trapping in the state of Minnesota until 2011.

• 2007: ROSANNE CASH underwent surgery for a rare brain malformation.

• 2008: A pregnant JO DEE MESSINA pulled a hamstring during the five-mile Boulevard Bolt run for the homeless in Nashville.

• 2017: Host REBA MCENTIRE sang A Holly Jolly Christmas and TRISHA YEARWOOD did Hard Candy Christmas on ABC’s annual CMA Country Christmas.

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 27, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) is 68

• Bill Nye the Science Guy is 64

• Fisher Stevens (Early Edition) is 56

• Robin Givens is 55

• Michael Vartan (Alias) is 51

• Elizabeth Marvel (Homeland, House of Cards) is 50

• Jaleel White (Family Matters) is 43

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1941: EDDIE RABBITT was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died of lung cancer on May 7, 1998.

• 2002: TIM MCGRAW’s first network television special, Sing Me Home, aired on NBC.

• 2007: ROSANNE CASH underwent surgery for a rare brain malformation.

• 2008: A pregnant JO DEE MESSINA pulled a hamstring during the five-mile Boulevard Bolt run for the homeless in Nashville.

• 2012: The December issue of Harper’s Bazaar hit newsstands with TAYLOR SWIFT on the cover. She admitted in the story that breakups are good for business: “You know that guy you really wish you could erase from your memory? … The answer is track six, eight, 12 and 13.”

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Jukebox Day

• Bavarian Cream Pie Day

UPCOMING

INTERPREP SAMPLE ★ NOVEMBER 15, 2019

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 15, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Ed Asner is 90

• Sam Waterston (Law and Order) is 79

• Beverly D’Angelo (National Lampoon’s Vacation) is 68

• Jonny Lee Miller (Elementary, Eli Stone) is 47

• Shailene Woodley is 28

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1492: In history’s first written reference to a new discovery, Christopher Columbus made notes in his journal about the use by New World Indians of tobacco.

• 1969: Dave Thomas opened the first Wendy’s fast food restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.

• 1990: Producers acknowledged that Milli Vanilli, who won the 1990 “Best New Artist” Grammy Award, did not sing on their album.

• 1992: Richard Petty drove in the final auto race of his 35-year career.

• 2003: Mourners at a funeral chapel in Belgium were gathered around the coffin of their loved one when a cell phone started ringing inside the casket. Relatives filed a complaint against the undertaker, charging he could not have prepared their relative’s body properly if he left a phone inside his pocket.

• 2013: The new number one activity on the Internet became social media, overtaking porn.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• America Recycles Day

• Bundt (Pan) Day

• Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day

• Steve Irwin Day

• Raisin Bran Cereal Day

UPCOMING

• November 16: First regular episode of the 50th season of Sesame Street (HBO)
• November 28: Thanksgiving
• November 29: Black Friday
• November 30: Small Business Saturday
• December 3: Giving Tuesday
• December 4: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting
• December 19: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters
• December 25: Christmas Day
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 5: Golden Globes
• February 2: Super Bowl
• February 9: 92nd Academy Awards
• February 14: Valentine’s Day (Friday)
• September 16, 2084: Asteroid ‘2019 SU3’ could hit Earth

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16

• Marg Helgenberger (CSI) is 61. Lisa Bonet is 52. Martha Plimpton is 49. Maggie Gyllenhaal is 42. Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live) is 26.

• Fast Food Day. Guinness World Record Day. International Day for Tolerance. Button Day. National Day of Play. Have a Party with Your Bear Day.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17

• Martin Scorsese is 77. Lauren Hutton is 76. Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels is 75. Danny DeVito is 75. Stephen Root (NewsRadio) is 68. RuPaul is 59. Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) is 56. Daisy Fuentes is 53. Rachel McAdams is 41.

• Homemade Bread Day. National Unfriend Day. Take A Hike Day. World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

300: Octopus species in the world.

NEWS ATTACK!

Travel experts say that there will be a record number of people at the airport during the Thanksgiving holiday. [“I’m sorry, sir but, you’re several pounds over your turkey stuffing carry-on limit.”]

A rare painting of Mozart at age 13 is about to go to auction and is expected to fetch over $1 million. [The painting is considered rare because the artist was actually fortunate enough to capture the teenage genius when he wasn’t on his cellphone.]

A flight out of Moscow was delayed while the crew rounded up a stowaway pigeon that was loose in the passenger cabin. [Because the sky is no place for a bird.]

A new survey in the UK finds that the wait time in hospital emergency rooms is the longest it’s been in many years. [For example, they found one guy in the ER who has been waiting there since he was injured while competing in the 2012 London Summer Olympics.]

A Kentucky man has won the legal right to have a personalize license plate that reads IM GOD. [But doesn’t everybody who drives a Hummer think that?]

China is lifting a five-year ban on American poultry. [Apparently, even the Chinese are having trouble saying no to Popeye’s chicken sandwich.]

A neighborhood organization in Texas ordered a family to take down its Christmas decorations because it’s too soon. [“We’ll tell you when you can start feeling jolly.”]

According to a new study, an ancient species of ape stood 10 feet tall. [Researchers say that it would have been 11 feet tall if it had listened to its mother and stopped slouching.]

A Nobel Prize-winning scientist says that he has no idea if the Big Bang actually happened. [Seinfeld and Friends, yes. The Big Bang, he’s not so sure.]

Facebook has repaired that glitch that opened your phone’s camera. [Facebook would like to not only apologize but also compliment you on your choice of shower curtain.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

HOLIDAY SHOPPING: 25% OF PARENTS STILL IN DEBT FROM LAST YEAR _ As the holiday shopping season gears up a new survey shows a quarter of American parents are still paying off debt from last year’s holiday season.

… American parents plan to spend an average of $558 on their child this year.

TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICANS WOULD PREFER A FOUR-DAY WORKWEEK _ Everybody’s working for the weekend, but what if the weekend was a little bit longer? A new survey (from YouGov) finds that most Americans would prefer a four-day workweek with longer hours, rather than the traditional five-day workweek.

… The poll of more than 36,000 Americans finds that 67 percent would prefer a four-day workweek with 10-hour days rather than the traditional five-day workweek with 8-hour days.

WOMEN ARE LOSING THE ‘THERMOSTAT WAR’ _ Office ‘thermostat wars’ are framed as a battle of the sexes, with men preferring cooler temperatures and women preferring warmer climes. When it comes to the household, it appears that women feel like they are fighting a war on temperature. In a study, researchers report that women are more likely to report engaging in conflict over the temperature at home than at work.

POP-TARTS HAS THE FIRST SUPER BOWL AD FOR 2020 _ Pop-Tarts will make its Super Bowl debut in 2020. During the past two Super Bowls, Kellogg’s only featured one of its brands: Pringles. On February 2, 2020, Pop-Tarts will air its first ad during a Super Bowl.

LOTTERY PLAYER WINS $150,000 IN NEW JERSEY, $100,000 IN PENNSYLVANIA _ A New Jersey man is a two-state lottery winner after winning $150,000 in his home state and $100,000 in Pennsylvania. Thomas A. of Pitman told New Jersey Lottery officials it was “just luck” that he decided to buy a High Card Poker scratch-off ticket with a spare $5 he had left over from buying some more expensive lottery tickets. Thomas ended up scratching off a $150,000 winner. Pitman said the jackpot wasn’t his first brush with lottery luck — he previously scored $100,000 from a Pennsylvania Lottery scratch-off ticket a few years earlier. Pitman said he plans to buy a new car and take a vacation with his winnings.

AMERICANS AREN’T JUST SLEEPING LESS, THEY’RE SLEEPING WORSE _ If you’re getting your recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night but feel like you’re still not waking up rejuvenated, you’re not alone. A new study (Iowa State University) has found that we’re not just sleeping less, we’re sleeping worse. The study more specifically found that people are increasingly having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night.

INDIANAPOLIS IS THE BEST CITY TO BE AN NFL FAN _ A new study (from Gaming Club) has ranked which NFL cities are the best to live in if you are an NFL fan. The study looked at six key categories: number of touchdowns, ticket prices, precipitation, beer price, food prices, and pollution.

… The top city for NFL fans is Indianapolis. At the bottom was the New York Giants.

OVERWHELMED BRIDE ASKS THE INTERNET TO JUST PLAN HER WEDDING _ She expected congratulations, but when Jen Glantz announced she got engaged in July, what she heard instead was unsolicited advice — and lots of it. The Brooklyn, New York writer is embracing it — by putting the details of her most intimate day into the hands of those who supposedly know best.

… Glantz has launched a website, Finally the Bride, where people can vote on the everyday decisions of wedding-planning. Friends, family members and strangers on the internet can cast their ballot on everything from where and when her wedding should be, to whether she should tell her fiancé her “deepest, darkest secrets” before the big day.

… Also up for a vote: Where she’ll go on her “solo bachelorette party,” a trip she’ll take by herself, instead of asking her friends to go on yet another over-the-top, expensive girls’ trip.

… She recognizes that she might not like all the decisions made on her behalf. On an Instagram post announcing the project, she urges her followers to “be nice and don’t make me wear a dress that looks like it came from [a] Cyndi Lauper music video and please please please don’t make [my] first dance to an Ed Sheeran song.”

FLAMIN’ HOT KETTLE COOKED LAY’S ARE COMING IN 2020 _ As we all know, putting Flamin’ Hot flavor on something just makes it immensely better. Which is why Lay’s Kettle Cooked chips are about to get 100 percent better when the Flamin’ Hot version arrives next year.

TWINKIES IN CEREAL FORM COMING TO GROCERIES _ For those looking to get their sugar fix filled first thing in the morning, Post Cereals and Hostess brands have just the thing: Twinkies Cereal. Set to hit store shelves nationwide next month, the new breakfast cereal “replicates the distinctive taste and familiar oblong shape of the golden-colored snack cake, delivering delightful sweetness in every bite.”

EGGO CEREAL IS COMING BACK AFTER A SEVEN-YEAR HIATUS _ It’s been seven years, but Kellogg’s Eggo Cereal is making a comeback. The nostalgic cereal inspired by the beloved frozen waffle brand will be available in Walmart stores starting Sunday, November 24.

… Fans of the breakfast treat helped make this a reality. In August, Eggo tweeted, “If this gets 10,000 retweets we’ll bring back Eggo cereal.”

ALMOST HALF OF PEOPLE DON’T CHANGE UNDERWEAR DAILY _ A new survey finds almost 50 percent of people don’t change their underwear every day. The research — by underwear maker Tommy John — revealed that 45 percent have worn the same pair of briefs for two days or longer. Even worse, 13 percent of those surveyed admitted that they’d sported the same undies for seven days or more.

CHEER UP BY LOOKING UP YOUR DEPRESSING FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK _ We all have those days when we’re feeling down: life isn’t going our way and we want to feel better about ourselves. The solution? If you use Facebook, a study (Ohio State University) suggests looking up friends who are complaining about their problems.

… Researchers had participants look at fake profiles on a fake social network. Those profiles had successful and unsuccessful people. People who were put in a bad mood by the experiment spent more time reading profiles of unsuccessful people. Researchers explained why: If you need a self-esteem boost, you’re going to look at people worse off than you. You’re probably not going to be looking at the people who just got a great new job or just got married. Your problems may not seem as bad when you look at other people’s struggles.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: WOMEN LIKE SCARS ON MEN _ Researchers say a facial scar, like one inflicted in a fight or from a tough job, increases men’s attractiveness to a woman for a short-term relationship. Show pictures of men with and without different scars, women rated the scarred faces as better looking — but scars did not enhance women’s attractiveness to men. Results show that scarring enhances women’s ratings of men’s attractiveness for short-term relationships, but not for long-term relationships.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DEAD WOMAN WOKE UP IN MORGUE, ASKED FOR TEA _ If you were thought dead for 11 hours but then woke up, what would be your first request? A woman in Poland declared dead by her doctor came back to life complaining of the cold — and requested hot tea.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WELL, WELL _ Three men went to a wooded lot in Florida (DeLeon Springs) to explore an abandoned 40-foot well. 18-year-old Hunter Gurney climbed in first as his two friends watched. Gurney fell to the bottom, where he began to feel ill from the stale air. His friends tried to use their SUV to pull him out with a rope, but Gurney was too weak to hold on, so one of the friends called 911. A rescue crew sent down an oxygen tank while the prepared to extract him. Once out, Gurney was able to walk away without needing hospital treatment. The men said they were exploring the depths of the well “for bragging rights.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TV THIEF FORGOT REMOTE _ A thief in France broke into a home and stole a computer, an iPad, and a TV. Shortly after the robbery the thief went back to the same house, but this time was caught. When he took the TV he forgot to take the remote control.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEVES FORGOT TO GAS UP _ In Romania, a thief snatched a bag containing $40,000 from the front seat of a car. He jumped into a car driven by an accomplice, but they didn’t get far. It ran out of gas.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MANNEQUIN THIEF WILL BUY HIS OWN _ A guy in the UK was arrested for allegedly stealing a store window mannequin. Again. It was his sixth arrest for mannequin theft. The man told police he plans to buy a mannequin so he doesn’t “have to do these break-ins anymore.”

ON TELEVISION

FRIDAY

HAWAII FIVE-O (8p ET, CBS) — New. Grover is thrilled when his niece (guest star Nia Holloway) comes to try out for the University of Hawaii basketball team. Basketball star Metta World Peace guest stars as himself, and the episode was co-written by series star Chi McBride.

THE BLACKLIST (8p ET, NBC) — New. The Task Force investigates the unexplained disappearance and sudden re-emergence of a governor.

AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE (8p ET, ABC) — New. When a young YouTube sensation asks for Greg’s help to ghostwrite his memoir, Greg is pushed out of his comfort zone.

WWE SMACKDOWN (8p ET, FOX) — New.

CHARMED (8p ET, CW) — New.

CMT’S NASHVILLE SQUARES (8p ET, CMT) — Two new episodes

FRESH OFF THE BOAT (8:30p ET, ABC) — New

MAGNUM P.I. (9p ET, CBS) — New. Train performs the world premiere of their new song Mai Tai, with special guest Skylar Grey.

DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition.

20/20 (9p ET, ABC) — New. This edition looks at the disappearance of University of Illinois scholar Ying Ying Zhang, and steps taken to catch Brendt Christensen, who was convicted of her kidnapping and murder. Included are interviews with Ms. Zhang’s family.

DYNASTY (9p ET, CW) — New.

PARIAH: THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF SONNY LISTON (9p ET, Showtime) — This new sports documentary looks back at the boxing great who famously lost his heavyweight crown to Muhammad Ali in a 1964 title match.

BLUE BLOODS (10p ET, CBS) — New. Erin considers a life-changing opportunity presented to her by Mayor Peter Chase (guest star Dylan Walsh).

SEASON PREMIERE: THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE (Amazon Prime) — This alternative-history sci-fi drama returns for its fourth and final season.

DOLLFACE (Hulu) — Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls) stars in this new sitcom as a recently dumped woman in L.A. looking to reconnect with her old girlfriends.

EARTHQUAKE BIRD (Netflix) — Alicia Vikander, Riley Keough and Naoki Kobayashi star in this new mystery drama about an unstable love triangle in 1980s Tokyo.

SATURDAY

COLLEGE FOOTBALL (7:30p ET, ABC) — No. 12 Baylor (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) hosts No. 10 Oklahoma (8-1, 5-1).

CHRISTMAS UNDER THE STARS (8p ET, Hallmark Channel) — Autumn Reeser and Jesse Metcalfe star in this new holiday film. Nick loses his high finance job right before Christmas so he takes a gig at a tree lot, where he meets Julie and her son.

LITTLE (8p ET, HBO) — A businesswoman (Regina Hall) wakes up one day as the 13-year-old version (Marsai Martin) of herself in this 2019 fantasy comedy. Issa Rae (Insecure) also stars.

CHRISTMAS IN LOUISIANA (8p ET, Lifetime) — A woman returns home to celebrate the anniversary of the town’s Sugarcane Christmas Festival, and rediscovers the magic of the season. Moira Kelly and Barry Bostwick star.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — New. One Direction’s Harry Styles hosts and performs.

SUNDAY

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS (8p ET, ABC) — New.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8p ET, NBC) — The L.A. Rams (5-4) play their first home game in over a month as they host the Chicago Bears (4-5).

GOD FRIENDED ME (8:30p ET, CBS) — New. Miles is shocked when clues he began following in Paris lead him to Gideon (guest star T.R. Knight), who had been helping friend suggestions before making a fateful decision to leave the God Account behind.

BATWOMAN (8p ET, CW) — New

SEASON PREMIERE: RAY DONOVAN (8p ET, Showtime) — Season 7 finds Ray working to be the man his family needs him to be. But he struggles to find the balance between fixing for clients and fixing himself.

SHARK TANK (9p ET, ABC) — New. Products include cutting-edge stem cell technology to save pets from diseases, and a healthier alternative to a traditional style deli meat. Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe, guest judges.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (9:30p ET, CBS) — New. After a Navy lieutenant disappears from the scene of a car accident, the team discovers his laptop is missing along with recently accessed confidential information.

SUPERGIRL (9p ET, CW) — New.

THE WALKING DEAD (9p ET, AMC) — New. Carol pushes boundaries that make Daryl uncomfortable.

THE ROOKIE (10p ET, ABC) — New. Nolan (Nathan Filian) kicks off his birthday by babysitting a crime scene at a law office. It’s a Firefly reunion as Alan Tudyk guest stars.

MADAM SECRETARY (10:30p ET, CBS) — New. When U.S. intelligence locates the mastermind behind a foreign country’s hack, Elizabeth must decide whether to risk war by extracting him from the country.

SEASON PREMIERE: THE CROWN (Netflix) — Season 3 stars Oscar winner Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, with Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip. This 10-episode season spans 12 years, beginning with the election of Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1964 and ending in 1977 with Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee.

ENTERTAINMENT

IN THEATERS TODAY _ Ford v Ferrari will bring in at least $20 million this weekend, which should be enough for the Matt Damon-Christian Bale movie to open at No. 1.

… In theaters: Ford v Ferrari (PG-13); Charlie’s Angels (PG-13); The Good Liar (R)

… Opening next weekend: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (PG); Frozen II (PG); 21 Bridges (R)

NETFLIX AND EDDIE MURPHY TEAMING UP FOR BEVERLY HILLS COP 4 _ Axel Foley is making a comeback. The Beverly Hills Cop franchise has been on ice for years, but Netflix has just announced that they’re teaming up with Paramount Pictures and Eddie Murphy to bring Beverly Hills Cop 4 to the streaming service.

DWAYNE JOHNSON REVEALS BLACK ADAM RELEASE DATE _ Dwayne Johnson is getting into the superhero business. The Rock announced on Instagram he will be joining the DC Universe as Black Adam. The fill will be out December 22, 20210. In the comics, the character of Adam Teth was a villain before being granted the Shazam power suite.

GOLIATH RENEWED FOR A FINAL SEASON _ Billy Bob Thornton will go up against a figurative Goliath one more time, now that Amazon Prime has renewed his legal drama for a fourth and final season. The Thursday announcement comes a little over a month after Season 3 made its debut on the streaming service. A spokesman for the show said, “Our latest case tackles a timely global crisis that impacts an entire generation, and we will be adding some exceptional talent to our already amazing cast.”

DAVE BAUTISTA ADOPTS TWO ABANDONED PIT BULLS _ Dave Bautista is introducing the world to his two new pups. The Guardians of the Galaxy actor has adopted two “beautiful” pit bulls, who had been “neglected and abandoned” for many years before they were rescued. Bautista said, “I needed them, they needed me. These beautiful babies spent the first six years of their lives neglected and abused. And now they are going to spend the rest of their lives being spoiled and loved.”

NETFLIX RESPONDS TO MO’NIQUE PAY DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT _ Netflix has responded to actress and comedian Mo’Nique’s pay discrimination lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday. The streaming giant said, “We care deeply about inclusion, equity, and diversity and take any accusations of discrimination very seriously. We believe our opening offer to Mo’Nique was fair — which is why we will be fighting this lawsuit.”

… Mo’Nique’s complaint accused Netflix of gender and race discrimination, saying that the company had given her a “low-ball” and “discriminatory” offer of $500,000 as a “talent fee” for a one-hour stand-up special, while other comedians were offered millions of dollars per special.

… The court filing goes on to say that “Netflix reportedly offered or paid [Chris] Rock, [Dave] Chapelle [sic], [Ellen] Degeneris [sic], and [Ricky] Gervais forty (40) times more per show than it offered Mo’Nique, and it offered [Amy] Schumer twenty-six (26) times more per show than Mo’Nique. In short, Netflix’s offer to Mo’Nique perpetuates the drastic wage gap forced upon Black women in the America’s workforce.”

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE RENEWED FOR SEASON 8 _ The cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine will be back for Season 7 on February 6 and will return for Season 8 next season. The renewal means Brooklyn Nine-Nine will spend at least three seasons on NBC following Fox’s cancellation after Season 5.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.

🎧 Phoner: Pregnancy insults! A woman shared on Twitter that a coworker told her the further along in her pregnancy she got the more she looked like Ricky Gervais.

🎧 Drops: A big collection of Black Friday-related drops.

🎧 Drops: A big collection of Thanksgiving-related drops.

BITS & BREAKS

WHAT’S YOUR FAMILY’S CHRISTMAS TREE RULE?

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What rule does your family have for putting up the Christmas tree? Day after thanksgiving? Day of the first snowfall?

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO HANGOVER REMEDY?

If you’re the kind who likes to take advantage of the free booze at holiday parties, you should have a hangover remedy ready. VinePair.com asked beer industry members to share their go-to routines for easing a hangover.

• Fried eggs and as much seltzer and strong iced coffee as possible.

• If I wake up feeling less than great from a long night out, ramen will most definitely help nurture me back to health. Dense, chewy noodles and a rich, salty broth helps replace sodium and retains water as you work to get rehydrated.

• Vitamin B and milk thistle pills. I try to take them before I have a few drinks. If I forget, I’ll have them right before bed. It’s not 100 percent prevention, but sure helps. The real bonus here is you get almost glowing pee from the vitamin B.” — Brent Banks, Brewer, Saint Errant Brewing, Chicago, IL

• My belly needs to be coated with a Waffle House Texas cheesesteak melt and a side of hash browns — scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, and diced, of course. Also coffee.

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What’s your go-to hangover remedy?

POST IT ON FACEBOOK

An image for your Facebook page.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Worldwide, one million of these will die today. (Light bulbs)

TRIVIA: The standard speed for one of these is 120 feet per minute. (Escalator)

TRIVIA: The average one of these contains 35 separate objects. (Woman’s purse)

WHO SAID IT?

“People can say whatever they want about my personal life because I know what my personal life is, and it involves a lot of TV and cats and girlfriends.”

• Taylor Swift*

• Michelle Obama

• Jennifer Aniston

• Ellen Pompeo

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 18, 2019

BIRTHDAYS

• Linda Evans (Dynasty) is 77

• Delroy Lindo (The Good Fight) is 67

• Kevin Nealon is 66

• Oscar Nunez (The Office) is 61

• Elizabeth Perkins is 59

• Owen Wilson is 51

• Mike Epps is 49

• Peta Wilson (La Femme Nikita) is 49

• Chloe Sevigny (Big Love, Boys Don’t Cry) is 45

• Project Runway winner and designer Christian Soriano is 34

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1307: According to legend, using a bow and arrow, William Tell shot an apple off his son’s head.

• 1928: Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York.

• 1963: The first phone with push buttons went into service in Pennsylvania.

• 1991: Suzanne Ferrer of Loire Valley in France became a great-grandmother at age 49. She had her first child at age 16; the daughter gave birth at 17; the granddaughter at 15.

• 1995: Prison officials in Douaihad, France, admitted they had to change the locks on 300 cell doors because someone lost the master key.

• 1996: Robo-Nurse debuted at a Middlesex, England, hospital. The medical robot could carry blood, bedpans, and a cup of tea.

• 1999: A log pile being constructed for an annual bonfire at Texas A&M University collapsed killing a dozen people.

• 2003: A 57-year-old Florida woman recovered from a stroke to find she had a British accent. Experts diagnosed Judi Roberts as suffering from “foreign accent syndrome,” one of less than 20 cases reported worldwide in 80 years.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Married To A Scorpio Support Day

• Mickey Mouse Day

• Apple Cider Day

• Princess Day

UPCOMING

• November 28: Thanksgiving
• November 29: Black Friday
• November 30: Small Business Saturday
• December 3: Giving Tuesday
• December 4: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting
• December 19: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters
• December 25: Christmas Day
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 5: Golden Globes
• February 2: Super Bowl
• February 9: 92nd Academy Awards
• February 14: Valentine’s Day (Friday)
• September 16, 2084: Asteroid ‘2019 SU3’ could hit Earth

INTERPREP ★ DECEMBER 29, 2017

Light issues are being published this week. No issue on New Year’s Day. The full prep will return January 2, 2018.

Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment & TV • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Wacky-But-True • USER’S GUIDE

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 29, 2017

This is day 363 of 2017. There are 2 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Jon Voight is 79

• Ted Danson is 70

• Comedian Paula Poundstone is 58

• Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead) is 53

• Jude Law is 45

• Mekhi Phifer is 43

• Jane Levy (Suburgatory) is 28

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1845: Texas was admitted to the union as the 28th state.

• 1851: The first American Young Men’s Christian Association was organized, in Boston.

• 1989: Wayne Gretzky and Martina Navratilova were named athletes of decade by the Associated Press.

• 1999: The NASDAQ composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4,041.46.

• 2007: Tom Brady sets a then-NFL record, throwing his 50th touchdown pass, and the New England Patriots became the first team in NFL history to finish the regular season 16-0.

• 2011: Financial disputes lead New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to report that the National September 11 Museum would not open on time.

• 2016: President Barack Obama retaliates against Russia for hacking American computer systems and trying to influence the 2016 presidential election by ejecting 35 Russian spies and imposing sanctions.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Tick Tock Day

• YMCA Day (Organization not the song)

• Get on the Scales Day

UPCOMING

• 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

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30

• Fred Ward is 75. Mike Nesmith (The Monkees) is 75. Patti Smith is 71. Meredith Vieira is 64. Country singer Suzy Bogguss is 61. Matt Lauer is 60. Tracey Ullman is 58. Tyrese is 39. Ellie Goulding is 31.

• Bacon Day. No Interruptions Day. Baking Soda Day.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31

• Anthony Hopkins is 80. Andy Summers (The Police) is 75. Ben Kingsley is 74. Tim Matheson is 70. Bebe Neuwirth is 59. Val Kilmer is 58. Joe McIntyre (New Kids on the Block) is 45.

• New Year’s Eve. Leap Second Time Adjustment Day. Look On The Bright Side Day. Make Up Your Mind Day. World Healing Day. World Peace Meditation Day. National Champagne Day. National Vinegar Day.

MONDAY, JANUARY 1

• Frank Langella is 80. Don Novello is 75. Grandmaster Flash is 60. Morris Chestnut is 49.

• New Year’s Day. Commitment Day. Global Family Day. World Day of Peace.

NEWS ATTACK!

A line of makeup for kids has been found to contain asbestos. [That brings up an interesting question: Can you sue Santa Claus?]

A Florida woman found several Christmas gifts on the side of the highway. Apparently, someone hit a bump and away the gifts went. [I hope one of the packages contains a new tailgate for the pickup truck.]

A 1939 Mercedes used by Hitler is going to auction in January. It’s a rare model considered a high point of automotive engineering. [And it’s in great condition except for the brakes. It has trouble stopping at borders.]

In Japan, the same country that had the Fukushima disaster, the world’s largest nuclear power plant has been given permission to fire back up. [So much for a happy New Year.]

Authorities in Nepal have rescued that country’s last two remaining dancing bears. The bears were underfed and treated horribly by their owners. [The only thing sadder than a bear in captivity is a bear in captivity forced to do the Macarena.]

An Italian clothing company has won the legal right to name its company Steve Jobs. [The turtleneck is Steve, and the jeans are Jobs.]

A woman on her first date with a man in Houston became irate and damaged over $300,000 worth of his art collection. [Why do I get the feeling that all her dates are first dates?]

The staff for Dr. Phil is accused of supplying guests with alcohol and drugs. [If I were going to spend an hour with Dr. Phil, I wouldn’t want to be sober either.]

The latest research shows that Vitamin D and calcium don’t actually prevent broken bones. [But what does prevent broken bones is staying inside and paying someone else to shovel your walkway.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

US POPULATION ADDS ONE PERSON EVERY 18 SECONDS _ The combined total of births, deaths, and net immigration will add one more person to the total U.S. population every 18 seconds in 2018. The U.S. population on New Year’s Day 2018 is projected to be 326,971,407. At the projected growth rate, the U.S. population could be expected to grow by about 1.75 million in 2018. The data were published Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

… The agency’s estimate the country’s population grows by one person every second is based on three elements: one birth every 8 seconds; one death every 10 seconds; and one international migrant (net) every 29 seconds.

… The global population on New Year’s Day is projected to reach 7,444,443,881, a 1.07% increase since last January 1, adding about 78.52 million people to the world’s population.

APPLE APOLOGIZES FOR iPHONE SLOWDOWN CONFUSION _ Apple has been in hot water for the last few weeks after the company admitted that it sometimes reduced processor speeds on iPhones with aging batteries as a way to balance performance and battery life. On Thursday, the company apologized for not being more transparent with its customers and released more details on how exactly iOS manages battery and performance.

… For starters, the company says that “we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades.”

… To help mitigate the confusion Apple caused, the company is now offering reduced out-of-warranty battery replacement. For $29, you can get a new battery for your phone regardless of whether it’s covered by AppleCare or not; that’s down from the old $79 fee. Unfortunately, that’s only a temporary discount that will last through the end of 2018. Additionally, Apple says it is going to release an iOS update early next year that’ll give users more info on the health of their iPhone’s battery so they can see if its condition is affect phone performance.

REFUGEE FAMILY STUCK IN BANGKOK AIRPORT FOR TWO MONTHS _ A Zimbabwean family has been marooned at Bangkok’s main airport for two months. The family of four adults and four children (ages 2- to 11-years-old) have tried to leave Thailand since late October but they lack visas for onward travel, refuse to return to Zimbabwe and are denied re-entry to the kingdom after overstaying, trapping them in limbo in the airport. Airlines have been providing them with food.

… Comparisons are being made with the 2004 film The Terminal, in which a man played by Tom Hanks finds himself stuck in a New York airport after his government collapses, rendering his papers useless.

OCTOMOM SAYS SHE’S FINALLY AT PEACE _ Most people won’t recognize the name Natalie Suleman, but they absolutely know the infamous “Octomom.” In early 2009, Natalie started getting a ton of tabloid coverage for carrying octuplets to term. People started hating on the mother immediately when they found out that she already had six other children. All 14 of Natalie’s children were born through in vitro fertilization treatments, which she began at age 21. Natalie had her first child in 2001 and continued to have more over the next few years. In 2008, Natalie decided to try for a sixth pregnancy in order to not waste her frozen embryos. Although she should have only had two or three embryos transferred, her doctor transferred 12. His medical license was later revoked. Natalie got pregnant with eight babies, who she delivered in January 2009. Now, those octuplets are eight years old and thriving.

… Since Natalie’s kids are pretty grown up now, she’s taken some time to reflect on her time as a mom. After becoming the Octomom, Natalie used her fame to work on her career. She ended up doing a pornographic film, working in strip clubs, and mixing prescription drugs with alcohol. Eventually, she realized she needed to reject her Octomom persona and be herself again. While reflecting on her past, Natalie admitted that having so many kids was “very foolish, immature and selfish.” That said, she can’t imagine her life any other way now. Although Natalie struggles to make ends meet, she says she’s finally at peace. Today, the family of 15 live in a townhouse in Laguna Niguel, California.

VIRAL ROYAL PHOTO TAKEN BY SINGLE MOM RAKING IN THOUSANDS _ The Christmas snapshot of the Royal Fab Four seen ’round the world — taken by a single mother — has already generated thousands of dollars. The photo taken by Karen Anvil — a less-than-amateur photographer — has already raked in about $7,000 from licensing. That money is just from one of eight territories the photo’s being circulated in so far — the figures for the other territories, which includes the U.S., haven’t been fully calculated yet.

HUMANS MAY HAVE INTERNAL BATHROOM SCALES _ You may think your bathroom scales are the only way to weigh yourself. But in a new medical breakthrough, scientists have discovered ‘internal bathroom scales’ already do the job for you. Swedish researchers have uncovered evidence of a mechanism in the brain of mice that operates in the exact same way. According to the researchers (University of Gothenburg) body weight is recorded by the brain whenever someone stands. If it notices an increase in weight, it triggers a signal that subconsciously tells the brain to stop eating so much food.

… However, the internal scales don’t work for those who sit down too long, such as office workers who spend hours sitting at their desk or TV binge-watchers.

SAILOR AND CAT RESCUED AFTER SEVEN MONTHS DRIFTING IN OCEAN _ A sailor has been rescued along with his cat after their boat broke down in the Indian Ocean seven months ago. 54-year-old Zbigniew Reket was pulled from the waters by the French coastguard. He said that his cat was his only company and that he survived on fish that he caught after his rations — enough for just one month — ran out. He was rescued in his modified lifeboat after being spotted by the crew of a yacht on Christmas Day. Reket said that when he left the Comoros Islands in May he was trying to get to South Africa but his boat broke down.

LIST OF OBJECTS DROPPED ON NEW YEAR’S EVE _ They drop a ball in Times Square. Here’s a list of other stuff dropped around the world on New Year’s Eve.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: DIVORCING COUPLES ARGUING OVER UNPAID DEBTS FROM THE WEDDING _ A lawyer in the UK says the pressure on couples to stage increasingly expensive “fairytale” weddings is now so great that some are still trying to pay off the bills when they get divorced.

… One UK law firm, which handles around 300 divorces a year, said that a small but significant number of such disputes that his firm sees center on who should clear loans used to pay for the couple’s honeymoon or the wedding ceremony itself.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ANTI-GAMBLING CRUSADER WINS $25,000 IN GAMING PARLOR SWEEPSTAKES _ Kathy Gilroy has crusaded against gambling for decades, speaking out against casinos, illegal raffles and the recent wave of video poker cafes. As one of the most visible gaming opponents in Illinois, she has warned that the vice erodes society’s values and work ethic, takes money from poor people and can lead to addiction, bankruptcy, crime and suicide. So even she concedes it may seem ironic that she recently won $25,000 by playing a sweepstakes game at a gambling cafe (in Villa Park).

… Gilroy said, “I called a pastor friend, and said, ‘Oh my God, should I send it back? What do I do? Do I donate it?’ He said, ‘Don’t feel guilty. You just got paid for all your volunteer work against gambling.'”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WRECKS HOME AFTER WIFE TAKES KIDS TO CHUCK-E-CHEESE _ An upstate New York (Wayne County) man has been arrested following a domestic incident. Deputies say Michael Cowell wrecked his home because he was upset his wife took their kids to Chuck-E-Cheese. Police say Cowell punched and shot several holes in the wall with his BB gun.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN FINED $5,000 FOR DEFAMING PIZZERIA ON FACEBOOK _ An Israeli woman who complained on Facebook about a pizza she purchased from the local pizzeria was slapped with a $5,000 fine. A judge found that the woman had defamed the owner of the pizzeria, damaging his reputation and causing him financial loss. The complaint she used on Facebook: “Yuck.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN STEALS GPS UNIT, WHICH GIVES HIM AWAY _ Police in New York arrested a man on suspicion of theft. Police say they stopped the 33-year-old man after they spotted him trying to ride a bicycle while carrying several items, including a car GPS unit. Police say the cyclist gave evasive answers to questions, and when the officer pressed the home button on the GPS, the unit displayed a nearby address. The resident of that home told police the device was his.

ENTERTAINMENT & TV

IN THEATERS _ Nothing new opens wide today, although All the Money in the World expanded on Monday (Christmas Day). The Last Jedi is expected to stay at No. 1 this weekend.

• All the Money in the World (R, opens Christmas Day) – The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom. Mark Wahlberg, Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams

… Opening next weekend: Insidious: The Last Key.

PASSENGERS ON CHRISSY TEIGEN’S ‘FLIGHT TO NOWHERE’ GET $265 APOLOGY _ Chrissy Teigen‘s tweets paid off. All passengers aboard the 32-year-old model’s “flight to nowhere” were given $265 for their troubles. Teigen tweeted about her eight-hour journey from LAX to LAX on Tuesday, saying: “a flying first for me: 4 hours into an 11 hour flight and we are turning around because we have a passenger who isn’t supposed to be on this plane. Why do we all gotta go back, I do not know.” She kept her followers up-to-date on her wait in the airport lounge for a makeup flight as well.

… NH Flight 175 departed at 11:36 a.m. that day, but looped over the Pacific Ocean and landed at LAX at again at 7:32 p.m instead of completing its route to Tokyo. Teigen and husband John Legend eventually made it to Japan.

… Fans asked her to explain why she didn’t travel privately. She tweeted: “A lot of people have been asking this and I would just like you all to know that a round trip international private flight is like…300,000 dollars.”

TWO TOP-GROSSING ACTORS OF 2017 _ The two top-grossing actors of 2017 were The Fate of the Furious costars Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. According to Forbes, Diesel and Johnson, who were reportedly embroiled in a feud during the making of the eighth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, also turned out to be the first and second highest-grossing actors of the year, respectively. The Fate of the Furious would go on to earn a whopping $1.2 billion at the global box office in 2017, and the two costars’ massively successful years were largely due to that one film.

… Diesel claimed the top spot this year with $1.6 billion in global ticketing receipts. He also starred in the action film xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, which earned over $346 million at the global box office.

… Johnson came in a close second with $1.5 billion, as his other main project, Baywatch, earned a comparatively low total of $177 million globally.

… Actress Gal Gadot came in at number three on the year-end list, with $1.4 billion earned from the global box office success of her films Wonder Woman” and Justice League.

FORMER GUESTS ACCUSE DR. PHIL OF GIVING DRUGS, BOOZE TO ADDICTS _ It may have been a surprise for viewers of Dr. Phil to see Todd Herzog — the winner of Survivor: China — appear completely drunk in an episode aired in 2013, blowing a whopping .263 in a breathalyzer test. But even more shocking are the bombshell allegations that Herzog is making. In a story published by the Boston Globe Thursday, Herzog, who at the time was battling an alcohol addiction, claims that he was stone-cold sober when he arrived at the show’s Los Angeles studio for the taping — and found a bottle of Smirnoff vodka in his dressing room. Herzog says he was unable to resist drinking the bottle — and claims that, once he had, a show staffer gave him a Xanax to “calm his nerves.” He isn’t alone in his accusations. Several Dr. Phil guests have come forward to allege that Phil has put addict guests at risk, whether by leaving them without medical attention or by helping them score drugs throughout the detox process.

… A Dr. Phil representative declined the paper’s request for an interview. CBS reps did not immediately respond to a separate request.

AMC CONSIDERING CHARGING DIFFERENT PRICES FOR SEATS _ Movie theater chain AMC is looking into the possibility of charging different prices for different seats within the same theater. Someone who’s a member of the AMC Stubs reward program said a survey sent to some of its program members asks where they like to sit in the theater and if they’d be willing to pay more or less money for more desirable seats or less desirable seats. Another AMC Stubs member confirmed the survey on Twitter.

ON TELEVISION _ The TV highlights for the weekend, which includes college bowl games.

FRIDAY

48 HOURS (8p ET, CBS) — Repeat
SHARK TANK (8p ET, ABC) — Repeat
LAW & ORDER: SVU (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat
HELL’S KITCHEN (8p ET, FOX) — A 2-hour repeat
IHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL (8p ET, CW) — Repeat
GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSIC (8:30p ET, ESPN) — No. 8 USC (11-2) battles No. 5 Ohio State (11-2) as the Pac-12 champion battles the Big Ten champion in the Cotton Bowl.
MACGYVER (9p ET, CBS) — Repeat
20/20 (9p ET, ABC) — This new, 2-hour special features a young woman that was violently attacked by her abusive boyfriend, but survived to find true love with one of her rescuers.
DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition
BLUE BLOODS (10p ET, CBS) — Repeat
SEASON PREMIERE: BILL NYE SAVES THE WORLD (Netflix) — Season 2 begins streaming.
SEASON PREMIERE: BLACK MIRROR (Netflix) — This edgy anthology series returns with new episodes. Jodie Foster directs one of the new installments.

SATURDAY

CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL (8p ET, ESPN) — No. 10 Miami, the ACC runner-up, takes on the Big Ten runner-up, No. 6 Wisconsin, in the Orange Bowl.
ROYAL NEW YEAR’S EVE (8p ET, Hallmark Channel) — This new TV movie stars Jessy Schram, Sam Page and Cheryl Ladd.
KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (8p ET, HBO) — Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) stars as Arthur in this 2017 action fantasy. Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou and Eric Bana also star.
10 DAYS IN THE VALLEY (10p ET, ABC ) — New
ACL HALL OF FAME NEW YEAR’S EVE (11p, PBS) — Back in October, three American musical innovators were inducted into the fourth annual Austin City Limits Hall of Fame: singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash, New Orleans funk ‘n’ soul collective the Neville Brothers and late rock & roll legend Roy Orbison. This special features music performances and tributes from Elvis Costello, Brandi Carlile, Neko Case, Ry Cooder, Dr. John, the Mavericks’ Raul Malo, Trombone Shorty, the Nevilles Band and host Chris Isaak.

SUNDAY

NFL Football schedule. Last week of the regular season!

DICK CLARK’S NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN’ EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2018 (8p ET, ABC) — Host Ryan Seacrest celebrates the countdown to midnight live from Times Square with co-host Jenny McCarthy in NYC. Singer Ciara will be in Los Angeles and Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale host the Central time zone countdown from New Orleans. Britney Spears, Camila Cabello, Nick Jonas, and Sugarland will perform live in Times Square. In L.A., Florida Georgia Line, Halsey, Portugal. The Man, Hailee Steinfeld, Alessia Cara, Zedd, G-Eazy, Halsey, Bebe Rexha, Alesso, Kane Brown, BTS, Kelly Clarkson, Fitz and The Tantrums, Khalid, Marshmello, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, and watt will perform. Imagine Dragons will perform live from New Orleans.
NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH STEVE HARVEY: LIVE FROM TIMES SQUARE (8p ET, FOX) — Steve Harvey hosts FOX’s first-ever New Year’s Eve special, and Maria Menounos will co-host. Performers include Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys, Macklemore, Skylar Grey, and Flo Rida, as well as Neil Diamond leading the world’s largest sing-along
NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE WITH ANDERSON COOPER (8p ET, CNN) — Cooper is joined this year by Bravo’s Andy Cohen, live from Times Square.
DAVE CHAPPELLE: EQUANIMITY (Netflix) — Netflix is releasing TWO new stand up special from Chappelle: Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation and Dave Chappelle: Equanimity, marking the 3rd and 4th new specials this year.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: 46% of adults said they have shopped while doing what? (Using the toilet)

BRAIN TEASER

Mike was watching TV and all of a sudden he leaps to his feet and says, “That’s Simon,” pointing at someone who was on the screen. Then his brother Mark comes in, looks at his brother, then looks back at the TV and says, “So it is.” How do they know Simon if they hadn’t seen him before?

Answer: He is their long lost, separated triplet brother.

DATEBOOK: JANUARY 2, 2018

This is day 2 of 2018. There are 363 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• TV host Jack Hanna is 71

• Gabrielle Carteris (Beverly Hills, 90210) is 57

• Tia Carrere (Wayne’s World) is 51

• Cuba Gooding Jr. is 50

• Christy Turlington is 49

• Taye Diggs (How Stella Got Her Groove Back) is 47

• Dax Shepard (Parenthood) is 43

• Dancer Karina Smirnoff is 40

• Kate Bosworth is 35

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1890: Alice Sanger became the first female staffer for the White House.

• 1929: Canada and the United States agreed on a plan to preserve Niagara Falls.

• 1935: Bruno Hauptmann went on trial for the murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh.

• 1936: Burma Shave erected roadside signs throughout the U.S. promising, “Free! Free! A Trip to Mars For 900 Empty Jars.” Arliss French collected 900 jars and demanded the free trip. He finally settled when Burma Shave supplied a space suit and flew him to Mars (Moers), Germany, a small town near Dusseldorf.

• 1965: The New York Jets signed University of Alabama quarterback Joe Namath for a reported $400,000.

• 1974: President Richard Nixon signed a bill lowering the maximum US speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.

• 1983: The musical “Annie,” based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip, closed on Broadway after a run of 2,377 performances.

• 1989: Some 200,000 baseball trading card packs were recalled after an obscenity was discovered painted on infielder Billy Ripken’s bat handle.

• 2006: Twelve men were killed in a methane gas explosion in a West Virginia coal mine. One man was found alive after being trapped underground 41 hours.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• January is Book Blitz Month, Cervical Cancer Screening Month, Coffee Gourmet International Month, Family Fit Lifestyle Month, Financial Wellness Month, International Business Resolutions Month, International Creativity Month, International Life Balance Month, International Wealth Mentality Month, National Be On-Purpose Month, National Clean Up Your Computer Month, National Get Organized Month, National Glaucoma Awareness Month, National Hot Tea Month, National Mail Order Gardening Month, Nation Mentoring Month, National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month, National Radon Action Month, National Returns Month, National Yours, Mine And Ours Month, Oatmeal Month, Senior Women’s Travel Month, Slow Cooking Month, Walk Your Pet Month, Eye Care Month, National Blood Donor Month, National Hobby Month, National Soup Month, National Thank You Month

• This is Diet Resolution Week, National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week

• Happy Mew Year for Cats Day

• Motivation and Inspiration Day

• Personal Trainer Awareness Day

• Science Fiction Day

• Pet Travel and Safety Day

UPCOMING

• 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

INTERPREP ★ DECEMBER 28, 2017

Light issues are being published this week. No issue on New Year’s Day. The full prep will return January 2, 2018.

Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment & TV • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Wacky-But-True • USER’S GUIDE

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 28, 2017

This is day 362 of 2017. There are 3 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Stan Lee is 95

• Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter films) is 83

• TV personality (CBS This Morning) Gayle King is 63

• Denzel Washington is 63

• Country singer Joe Diffie is 59

• Country singer-guitarist Marty Roe of Diamond Rio is 57

• Seth Meyers (Late Night With Seth Meyers) is 44

• Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike, True Blood) is 41

• John Legend is 39

• Sienna Miller is 36

• Miles Brown (Black-ish) is 13

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1612: Galileo Galilei became the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly cataloged it as a fixed star.

• 1846: Iowa was admitted as the 29th U.S. state.

• 1869: William E. Semple of Mount Vernon, Ohio, patented chewing gum.

• 1902: The first indoor professional American football game was played in New York City at Madison Square Garden.

• 1945: The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.

• 1975: Trailing 14-10 with only 32 seconds left and no time outs, from 50 yards out Roger Staubach hit Drew Pearson in a crowd at the goal-line to give Dallas the NFC title over Minnesota. In a post-game interview, Staubach said, “You throw it and pray he catches it. I guess it’s sort of a ‘Hail Mary’ pass.”

• 2000: Retail giant Montgomery Ward announced it is going out of business after 128 years.

• 2003: A 38-year-old jewel thief who swallowed a $20,000 diamond ring in Clearwater, Florida, was forced by nature to give up the evidence. The woman was arrested after a surveillance tape showed her putting the 1.5 carat ring in her mouth at a jewelry store. An X-ray showed the ring inside the suspect.

• 2010: Remains of a human that lived 400,000 years ago were discovered in Israel, challenging the theory that humans originated in Africa.

• 2012: Vladimir Putin signed into law a ban on U.S. adoption of Russian children.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Endangered Species Act Day

• Chocolate Day

• Pledge of Allegiance Day

• Card Playing Day

UPCOMING

NEWS ATTACK!

California authorities arrested a couple who used a church parking lot as the landing strip for delivering drugs by drone. [The police campaign was known as Operation Manna from Heaven.]

A flight from L.A. to Tokyo had to turn around after four hours because a passenger had gotten on the wrong plane. [The only thing worse than getting on the wrong plane is walking past all those angry passengers when you get off the plane.]

Jerusalem plans to name a train stop after Donald Trump. [You can’t miss it. It’ll be the one with the KFC showing Fox News.]

According to a new report, over the past year, the world’s 500 richest people became $1 trillion richer. [Well, that’s a relief.]

A new study says that more pregnant women are using pot. [For many of them that’s what led to being pregnant in the first place.]

A new study says that more pregnant women are using pot. [So are more men when they find out they’re going to be fathers.]

A 27-year-old has become the youngest person to ever complete a solo trek to the South Pole. He said that one of the difficulties he had to deal with was problems with his iPod. [He’ll be famous for making it to the Pole and for being the last guy on Earth still using an iPod.]

A Georgia inmate broke free by busting a hole through the wall in his shower. [I wonder at what point during the three-hour shower guards first become suspicious.]

Scientists are worried about North Korea’s intention to use biological weapons after a recently defected North Korean soldier was found to have received a vaccination against anthrax. [And that’s not a shot you can get at your local Walgreens.]

Parts of the nation have been hit by bitter cold. [It’s so cold politicians are actually keeping their hands in their own pockets.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

SOME SPEAKERS ARE BEING HIJACKED TO PLAY GHOSTLY SOUNDS _ Researchers (at Trend Micro) have found that certain models of Sonos and Bose speakers have vulnerabilities that leave them open to hijacking. The accessible speakers are being exploited by hackers that are using them to play spooky sounds, Alexa commands, and Rick Astley tracks. Only a small percentage of speakers by the two companies are actually affected, including some of the Sonos Play:1, the Sonos One, and the Bose SoundTouch. All it takes is for the speaker to be connected to a misconfigured network and a simple internet scan. Once the speaker is discovered via the scan, the API it uses to talk to apps can be utilized to tell the speakers to play any audio file hosted at a specific URL. Of all the models, between 2,500 to 5,000 Sonos devices and 400 to 500 Bose devices were found to be open to audio hacking.

GROCERY CHAIN LOOKS TO ELIMINATE CHECKOUT LANES _ As food delivery services and online shopping disrupt the grocery industry, Kroger is looking to eliminate checkout lanes for busy customers. The Cincinnati-headquartered grocery chain will roll out its “Scan, Bag, Go” service to 400 stores in 2018. Shoppers can avoid long checkout lines by scanning barcodes of items they want to buy using a handheld scanner or through Kroger’s “Scan, Bag, Go” app on any smartphone. When customers are finished shopping, they can stop at a self-checkout to pay for their order. Eventually shoppers will be able to pay through the app instead.

NORTH CAROLINA FAMILY COMES TO THE RESCUE ON CHRISTMAS EVE — TWICE _ Crystal Travis helped a family escape a house fire on Christmas Eve in Cleveland County, North Carolina. Crystal and her 14-year-old daughter Tori were driving home from visiting a relative. Crystal saw flames coming from a house but could not tell if something was burning in front of the house or if the house itself was on fire. She said she cut across yards to reach the house. As she drove onto the lawn, a woman ran out of the house clutching a baby and handed it to a neighbor. Realizing what was going on, Crystal said she and her daughter jumped out of the car and into action, calling out to ask if anyone needed help. Meanwhile, a man appeared at the door and began throwing clothing and gifts onto the lawn. Crystal and Tori gathered the items and carried them to safety to keep the path clear. Then, propane tanks exploded, shaking the ground and sending everyone running away from the house. Crystal called 911 and waited for firefighters and first responders to arrive. As the two left the scene, coughing and wheezing from smoke inhalation, Tori called her father to share what happened. They decided to meet Roger Travis at Applebee’s.

… On his way to Applebee’s, Roger Travis said he saw a car in the median in front of the mall. A former volunteer firefighter and first responder, his instincts kicked in and he pulled over. He saw a baby on the ground surrounded by people asking if anyone knew CPR. The little boy was not breathing and a woman who appeared to be the mother was panicked. Roger pushed past the crowd and helped a firefighter administer CPR. They kept working until the baby started breathing and making noises.

FIREFIGHTER ADOPTS BABY GIRL HE DELIVERED ON THE JOB AFTER SAVING HER LIFE _ Firefighter Marc Hadden had saved dozens of life with the department in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but on November 14, 2011, he found himself delivering a baby for the very first time after a woman called 911 complaining of abdominal pain. At the time, Hadden never imagined that just 48 hours later he would bringing the baby girl — whom they named Rebecca Grace — home as her father. Marc and his wife, Beth, who already had two young boys (Will, now 15 and Parker, now 13) had always wanted a third child but because of complications with their first two pregnancies they were forced to take the long and expensive route of adoption. So just hours later at the hospital, when the birth mother made it clear she couldn’t care for her daughter, Marc was the first to raise his hand to take her in as his own. Beth says she remembers getting a phone call from Marc that day where he told her “I delivered a baby.”

… The next day Beth met the baby’s mother. As the two women talked, a doctor walked in to let the mother know that they were ready to move forward with the adoption. It was then that she said to Beth, “I can’t give my baby to someone I’ve never met. … I want you to adopt my baby.” By the end of that day, the couple had signed temporary-custody papers, and just 48 hours after her birth, they brought her home.

SC SENATOR WANTS BIGGER FINES FOR SLOW LEFT LANE DRIVERS _ A South Carolina lawmaker wants to increase the fine for drivers who go slowly in the left lane. State Sen. Ross Turner says his 200-mile round trip commute from Greenville to Columbia helped convince him of the need for a South Carolina law similar to one that took effect last month in Oklahoma. Turner’s bill would increase the fine for driving less than the speed of normal traffic in the passing lane of a multi-lane highway by $200. EDITOR: We have this law in Illinois and it’s pretty much useless.

NORTH KOREAN DEFECTORS MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO RADIATION _ At least four defectors from North Korea have shown signs of radiation exposure, although researchers in South Korea could not confirm if they were was related to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. The four are among 30 former residents of Kilju county, an area in North Korea that includes a nuclear test site.

DONALD TRUMP NOT MOST ADMIRED MAN _ Donald Trump is the first president to lose Gallup’s annual poll of the Most Admired Man during his first full year in office. Gerald Ford didn’t win the honor in 1974, but he’d only been president for four months when the poll was conducted; he assumed the role of commander in chief after Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was named the Most Admired Man that year. To make matters worse for Trump, the man who Americans looked up to most in 2017 is his predecessor, Barack Obama.

MORE PREGNANT WOMEN ARE USING POT TO TREAT MORNING SICKNESS _ An increasing number of women are using marijuana while pregnant, possibly for morning sickness or anxiety. A research letter (published in JAMA) says that from 2009 to 2016, marijuana use among pregnant women increased from 4.2% to 7.1%. Those 18 and younger increased use from 12.5% to 21.8%. Pregnant women ages 18 to 24 increased use from 9.8% to 19%.

… While some studies exist, not a lot is known about marijuana’s effects on an unborn baby. Research cited by the Centers for Disease and Control shows pregnant women who use marijuana could put their child at risk of low birth weight and developmental problems. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists discourages marijuana use for women who are planning to become pregnant, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

DON’T BOTHER WITH A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION _ A study by some psychologists in the UK shows that nine out of ten New Year’s resolutions are doomed to failure. The (University of Hertfordshire) study followed the attempts of 3,000 volunteers to stick to their resolutions. At the start of the year, 52 percent said they were confident of success. But by the end of the year, only 12 percent had achieved their goal.

… Men were more likely to succeed when they set themselves goals, such as losing a pound each week, or when they focused on the rewards, such as being more attractive to women.

… Women were more successful if they told their friends and family about their resolution and if they were encouraged not to give up just because they had slipped back into old habits.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: CINNABON DELETES CARRIE FISHER TWEET AFTER USER OUTRAGE _ While the world mourned the passing of Carrie Fisher on Tuesday, Cinnabon saw an opportunity to promote its brand. The mall-based pastry chain tweeted a photo of a cinnamon portrait of Princess Leia, with her infamous coiled bun represented by a cinnamon roll. The caption: “RIP Carrie Fisher, you’ll always have the best buns in the galaxy.” Reaction from the Internet was swift and negative. For example: “Never, never use a death to promote your brand. Poor taste.” And: “Tacky. Get over yourself and stop capitalizing on the tragic loss of an icon.”

… The tweet was deleted in less than an hour.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BAGEL FORCES EVACUATION _The international airport in St. Louis had to be evacuated after the smoke alarms went off. A restaurant had over-toasted a bagel.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HAIRCUT FROM HELL LANDS STYLIST BEHIND BARS _ A bad haircut led to a Wisconsin hairstylist’s arrest. Khaled A. Shabani was arrested after he snipped a 22-year-old customer’s ear. Officers arrested Shabani on suspicion of mayhem and disorderly conduct while armed. The hairstylist then ran the clipper with the shortest attachment down the middle of the customer’s head. The hairstylist said it was an accident. • PHOTO

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER DEVOURING 20 TAMALES _ During the holiday season, there are plenty of ways to overindulge. But for one Mexican woman, it’s the tamales that did her in. The 25-year-old woman was hospitalized after eating 20 tacos in a matter of minutes.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMER SLAMS TRUCK INTO DEALERSHIP SHOWROOM _ A man described as a disgruntled customer rammed his Dodge pickup into the showroom of a Smithfield, North Carolina, auto dealership this week. The man crashed through a window because he was upset over routine manufacturer recalls on his pickup. A dealership spokesman said that there was no record of the man ever having his car serviced at that location.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN WIPES NOSE ON COP’S SLEEVE _ A woman in West Virginia was charged with battery on a police officer after the officer said she wiped her nose on the back of his shirt.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF HAS BAD CASE OF HEART BURN _ Shortly after fleeing a California grocery store on foot, a thief was apprehended by deputies at a nearby bus stop. Tucked into his clothing, authorities uncovered over $200 worth of over-the-counter antacids.

ENTERTAINMENT & TV

ON TELEVISION _ Here’s what’s on the tube tonight.

THE BIG BANG THEORY (8p ET, CBS) — Repeat

TO TELL THE TRUTH (8p ET, ABC) — Repeat

SUPERSTORE (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat

CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP: A BAD BOY STORY (8p ET, FOX) — This 2017 music documentary celebrates the groundbreaking hip-hop label founded by Sean Combs. Jay Z, Lil’ Kim, French Montana, Usher and Faith Evans all appear.

IHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL (8p ET, CW) — Repeat

YOUNG SHELDON (8:30p ET, CBS) — Repeat

WILL & GRACE (8:30p ET, NBC) — Repeat

THE BIG BANG THEORY (9p ET, CBS) — Repeat

THE $100,000 PYRAMID (9p ET, ABC) — Repeat

WILL & GRACE (9p ET, NBC) — Repeat

GREAT NEWS (9:30p ET, NBC) — New. Carol is devastated that her parents are getting divorced after 70 years of marriage.

MOM (9:30p ET, CBS) — Repeat

CHICAGO FIRE (10p ET, NBC) — Repeat

MATCH GAME (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

S.W.A.T. (10p ET, CBS) — Repeat

TOP CHEF (10p ET, Bravo) — New. The chefs make upscale versions of kid-menu classics, using child-sized cookware, utensils and mixers.

… And there are more college bowl games.

AIR CANADA’S HEARTFELT AD, VOICED BY RYAN REYNOLDS _ Ryan Reynolds’ casual but earnest delivery really hits home in Air Canada’s latest ad, as he waxes poetic about the Canadian spirit. The new commercial, titled “Our Home,” presents images of compassion, teamwork and diversity. Reynolds concludes, “It’s not where we are; it’s who we are. Because we don’t live at home. Home lives in us.” The tagline, “Fly the flag,” suggests both Canadian patriotism and the carrier’s maple leaf logo. • VIDEO

PADDINGTON 2 TRAILER: THE LOVABLE BEAR GOES TO JAIL _ The new Paddington 2 trailer is online. The much-anticipated sequel to the worldwide hit family film finds Paddington happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes. While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber’s antique shop, and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief. It comes to theaters on January 12. • VIDEO

CONNIE BRITTON IS COMING BACK TO TV _ Fans of former Nashville star Connie Britton are excited to hear she will be back on TV in just a few days. Connie will star in the upcoming FOX procedural 9-1-1. She’ll play dispatcher Abby Clark opposite fellow American Horror Story alum Angela Bassett and Parenthood’s Peter Krause. The drama premieres on Wednesday, January 3.

… We’ll also catch Connie on Netflix next year in the dramedy film Land of Steady Habits. She’ll play a divorcee who bonds with the lead character, played by Ben Mendelsohn, as he navigates a midlife crisis.

GUNS N’ ROSES GUITARIST SLASH BUYS HOME FOR $6.25M _ It looks like “paradise city” is Encino, California, where the Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has purchased a new home for $6.25 million. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was on the hunt for a new place to settle down after leaving 90210 behind. The 52-year-old, whose actual name is Saul Hudson, and his former wife, Perla Hudson, initially listed their 11,000-square-foot Beverly Hills estate in 2015 for $11 million. In 2016, the price was slashed to $9.5 million. It was finally sold to rapper Big Sean for a reported $8.7 million.

TOP TV SHOWS _ Week of December 18-24.

NFL Saturday Night Football: Minnesota at Green Bay, NBC, 15.29 million
The OT, Fox, 12.76 million
Young Sheldon, CBS, 11.32 million
Saturday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC, 11.023 million
The Voice (Monday), NBC, 11.022 million
The Voice (Tuesday), NBC, 10.91 million
NFL Regular Season: Atlanta at Tampa Bay, ESPN, 9.46 million
The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 9.42 million
Mom, CBS, 8.85 million
Survivor, CBS, 8.73 million
Football Night in America, Part 3, NBC, 8.04 million
The Voice (Tuesday), NBC, 7.91 million
Ellen’s Game of Games, NBC, 7.25 million
Life in Pieces, CBS, 6.72 million
I Love Lucy Christmas Special, CBS, 6.5 million
Kevin Can Wait, CBS, 6.4 million
60 Minutes, CBS, 6.29 million
S.W.A.T., CBS, 6.28 million
Survivor Reunion, CBS, 5.97 million
The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, 5.83 million

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: The average person sees 11 of these a year. (Rainbows)

WHAT’S IN COMMON?

Each set of three things has something in common. Tell me what it is and you win.

• Dove, Dial, Zest (soap)

• Turtle, taco, sea (Shells)

• End, No parking, Twilight (Zones)

• Donuts, Oreo cookies, basketballs (They’re dunked)

• The earth, a nuclear reactor, an apple (They have cores)

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 29, 2017

This is day 363 of 2017. There are 2 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Jon Voight is 79

• Ted Danson is 70

• Comedian Paula Poundstone is 58

• Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead) is 53

• Jude Law is 45

• Mekhi Phifer is 43

• Jane Levy (Suburgatory) is 28

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1845: Texas was admitted to the union as the 28th state.

• 1851: The first American Young Men’s Christian Association was organized, in Boston.

• 1989: Wayne Gretzky and Martina Navratilova were named athletes of decade by the Associated Press.

• 1999: The NASDAQ composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4,041.46.

• 2007: Tom Brady sets a then-NFL record, throwing his 50th touchdown pass, and the New England Patriots became the first team in NFL history to finish the regular season 16-0.

• 2011: Financial disputes lead New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to report that the National September 11 Museum would not open on time.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Tick Tock Day

• YMCA Day (Organization not the song)

• Get on the Scales Day

UPCOMING

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30

• Bacon Day. No Interruptions Day. Baking Soda Day.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31

• Anthony Hopkins is 80. Andy Summers (The Police) is 75. Ben Kingsley is 74. Tim Matheson is 70. Bebe Neuwirth is 59. Val Kilmer is 58. Joe McIntyre (New Kids on the Block) is 45.

• New Year’s Eve. Leap Second Time Adjustment Day. Look On The Bright Side Day. Make Up Your Mind Day. World Healing Day. World Peace Meditation Day. National Champagne Day. National Vinegar Day.

MONDAY, JANUARY 1

• Frank Langella is 80. Don Novello is 75. Grandmaster Flash is 60. Morris Chestnut is 49.

• New Year’s Day. Commitment Day. Global Family Day. World Day of Peace.

INTERPREP ★ DECEMBER 27, 2017

Light issues are being published this week. No issue on New Year’s Day. The full prep will return January 2, 2018.

Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment & TV • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Wacky-But-True • USER’S GUIDE

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 27, 2017

This is day 361 of 2017. There are 4 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Cokie Roberts is 74

• Gerard Depardieu is 69

• Eva LaRue (CSI: Miami) is 51

• TV journalist Savannah Guthrie is 46

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1932: The Radio City Music Hall in New York City opened.

• 1941: Puppets Howdy and Double Doody were born in Doodyville, Texas. They made their TV debut in 1947 on their 6th birthday.

• 1968: Apollo 8 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, ending humanity’s first manned mission to the Moon.

• 1971: Sonny & Cher were given a regular variety show on CBS-TV after their summer replacement show was a big success. “The Sonny & Cher Show” lasted four seasons.

• 1989: The album “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” by Elmo and Patsy was certified gold.

• 2000: A Milwaukee man who tuned into a police scanner was surprised to hear traffic officers chasing his wife. The woman was arrested. Her husband showed up at the police station to claim the car keys, but refused to bail out his wife.

• 2002: Clonaid, a company founded by a group that believed in space aliens, announced it had produced the world’s first cloned baby. Scientists dismissed the claim when the group supplied no corroborating evidence.

• 2013: An error on the Delta Air Lines website allowed thousands of customers to buy tickets for super-low fares, some 90% below regular ticket prices. Delta took responsibility for the error and honored ticket purchases.

• 2014: Sony’s gaming service went back online after a hacking attack disrupted its PlayStation Network.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Free Balloon Day

• Visit The Zoo Day

• Fruitcake Day

UPCOMING

NEWS ATTACK!

The numbers are in, and Americans racked up record retail sales during the holiday shopping season. [Experts say that this points to an increase in consumer confidence and is a strong indication that we never seem to learn our lesson.]

Someone in San Antonio stole a homeowner’s 16-foot inflatable reindeer decoration. [It’s always interesting how different people are. One man’s holiday tradition involved decorations, and another man’s holiday tradition involved stealing them.]

A report says that pinball is making a comeback. [Because modern civilization is obviously in danger of running out of ways to waste time.]

Tensions between the UK and Russia are running high. [The British accuse the Russians of hacking the royal line of ascension in order to put their candidate on the throne.]

The oldest tree at the White House is scheduled to be taken down this week. [First tax cuts, now axe cuts.]

Vandals in Australia smashed a 115 million-year-old dinosaur footprint. [It’s a shame that dinosaurs went extinct rather than vandals.]

A man in Florida was arrested after he beat up an ATM because it was dispensing too much money. [I can honestly say that that’s a problem I’ve never had with any ATM in my entire life.]

A woman in Pennsylvania received an electric bill for $284 billion. [Next year, she might want to go a little easy on the Christmas lights.]

The World Health Organization plans to declare excessive video game playing as a disorder. [It’s treatable through medication, talk therapy and a swift kick in the butt.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

GOOD NEWS FOR FEDEX, UPS: PEOPLE OPENED $90B IN UNWANTED GIFTS _ Don’t like your holiday present? That’s a gift for FedEx and UPS. Consumers will return about $90 billion worth of goods this holiday season. That sum amounts to close to a quarter of the total value of goods returned each year.

… January marks the peak of returns, accounting for 51 percent of returns, but many consumers waste little time in returning their unwanted items right after Christmas. December 26 through December 31 accounts for 40 percent of returns.

… UPS said 5.8 million packages were shipped back to retailers in the first full week of January this year.

AMERICAN AIRLINES ACCUSED 2 PASSENGERS OF STEALING BLANKETS _ It’s not all glamour for professional basketball players. At least, when you’re playing in the G-League — the NBA’s minor league. Marquis Teague and Trahson Burrell play for the G-League’s Memphis Hustle. On Christmas Eve, they were flying on American Airlines flight 3756 from Dallas to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They weren’t flying First Class. However, two passengers who were gave them their blankets as a gesture of kindness. When the two players took their seats in coach a flight attendant accused them of stealing the blankets. Words were exchanged and, as happens on planes, those words led to the two players being asked off the flight. The Hustle’s assistant coach Darnell Lazare believes this was a clear case of racial profiling.

… American responded: “We apologize for what occurred on this flight. We take pride in bringing people together, and we know that on this flight we let some of our customers down. Our team at American, along with Envoy Air, is reviewing what happened, and will be reaching out to them.”

MOM BEGS FACEBOOK FRIENDS TO DONATE LIVER TO HER DAUGHTER _ When a post from an old friend comes up on Facebook, do you read it? Donya McCoy of Pennsylvania sure is glad her old friends read hers. When Donya’s young daughter was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disease, she didn’t have many options. Her baby’s prognosis was bad — but doctors had a revolutionary idea. The new piece of Kennedy’s liver couldn’t come from someone she was related to. Donya was willing to do whatever she could to get her daughter what she needed. She decided Facebook was her best bet, so she posted a status. It was Donya’s old high school friend, Mike Thompson, who saw the post. He is a firefighter, and was willing to be the donor. And it worked.

‘GAMING DISORDER’ MAY GET CLASSIFIED AS A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION _ There’s a certain point at which a hobby can become too much. The World Health Organization is considering adding “gaming disorder” to the list of mental health conditions in its next update of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The 11th version of the ICD is not yet set, but the addition would be a recognition that a pastime can become problematic if it leads to a form of addictive behavior.

… Specifically, the draft’s language states that gaming behavior could be a disorder if it meets three characteristics: if a person loses control over their gaming habits, if they start to prioritize gaming over many other interests or activities, and if they continue playing despite clear negative consequences. This would add gaming to a list of other behaviors that can become problematic if people lose control over them, including gambling and disorders related to the use of substances like alcohol, marijuana, caffeine, or nicotine.

ERIE GOT BURIED IN 53 INCHES OF SNOW IN 30 HOURS _ Be careful what you wish for: Residents of Erie, Pennsylvania who were dreaming of a white Christmas got more than they bargained for when a jaw-dropping 53 inches of snow fell on the city and its surrounding areas over a 30-hour period. The white stuff started to fall on Christmas Day, and by the end of Monday there was a total of 34 inches on the ground. It was a record-setting total for the city, clobbering its previous snowiest-day-ever, when 20 inches fell on November 11, 1956. But Mother Nature wasn’t done with them yet.

… The heavy snowfall continued into Tuesday morning, dropping another 19 inches, for a grand total of 53 inches of snow — just under 4½ feet — by Tuesday morning. But it’s still not over; the snow is expected to continue through today (Wednesday).

… Check out some photos.

MISSING SON WAS PLANNING CHRISTMAS SURPRISE _ A single mother who spent her savings to move her family into a new apartment was overcome with worry when her son kept disappearing — but unbeknownst to her, her loving children were planning a Christmas surprise. Sophia Reed recently moved to Oklahoma City after her husband suddenly left her. The move used up most of her savings thanks to the security deposit and rent, and Reed planned to share a nice Christmas dinner with her four children in lieu of buying presents she couldn’t afford. But as the family settled into their new home and surroundings, Reed became increasingly concerned as her 13-year-old son, Darius, kept disappearing for hours on end. So the worried mother turned to the police while Darius was on one of his mysterious excursions in mid-December, and that’s when it was revealed what her son and his siblings were up to. Darius told a police officer that he was collecting hundreds of cans to raise money and bring some Christmas cheer to his mother. At that point, the young boy had collected $13. After learning what he was up to, the officer decided to keep Darius’ secret, and went back to his station to spread the word with the intention of helping the 13-year-old on his mission. The department was able to raise about $800 to buy gifts for Reed and her children, just in time for Christmas.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WILL NO LONGER ARCHIVE EVERY TWEET _ Since 2010, Library of Congress has been archiving every single public tweet: Yours, ours, the president’s. But on Tuesday, the institution announced it will no longer archive every one of our status updates. As of January 1, the library will only acquire tweets “on a very selective basis.” The library doesn’t say how many tweets has in its collection now, but in 2013 it said it was collecting a half a billion tweets a day.

BLAME ROBOTS FOR AMAZON’S ODD BOX SIZES _ Ever order something on Amazon.com — something small, perhaps — and it shows up in a box 20 times the necessary size? Blame robots. Amazon uses some super complicated software to determine which box to use, but it’s not based solely on the size of the product. Instead, the software also takes into account the actual truck that will be carrying your package to a distribution center, as well as the other boxes that will be in the truck. The software is basically playing Tetris to find the most efficient way to stack boxes inside the truck. Sometimes a truck won’t have as many packages to carry, and Amazon will automatically put your product into a larger box. That way there’s less empty room in the back of the truck. Which is good. Otherwise, the packages would slide around and could get damaged.

MEN RESIST GREEN BEHAVIOR AS UN-MANLY _ Women have long surpassed men in the arena of environmental action; across age groups and countries, females tend to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Compared to men, women litter less, recycle more, and leave a smaller carbon footprint. It’s not that men don’t care about the environment. But they also tend to want to feel macho, and they worry that eco-friendly behaviors might brand them as feminine. Yes, it really is almost 2018.

… The research consisted of seven experiments involving more than 2,000 American and Chinese participants. The study showed that there is a psychological link between eco-friendliness and perceptions of femininity. Due to this “green-feminine stereotype,” both men and women judged eco-friendly products, behaviors, and consumers as more feminine than their non-green counterparts.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TOPLESS PROTESTER TRIES TO GRAB BABY JESUS _ A topless protester was detained by Vatican police on Monday for attempting to steal the doll of baby Jesus from the Vatican’s nativity scene. The incident occurred as thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to hear the Pope’s Christmas Day message. The woman, who was wearing pants and shoes, was part of the international feminist organization Femen. The group has become well-known for sending topless activists to protest world leaders and challenge the global patriarchy.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAKE TAKES A SEAT, GOES FOR A FALL _ A man said he went into the restroom at a McDonald’s in Georgia and sat down to do his business. It was as he was finishing up that he and the seat fell to the floor. The man said after the fall, his backside and hip hurt. Medics took him to a hospital. A McDonald’s employee said an unknown person had removed the screw bolts that fastened the seat to the toilet bowl.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK MOOSE GETS XMAS LIGHTS TANGLED IN ANTLERS _ A moose in Anchorage, Alaska, binged on fermented crab apples from a tree in front of a local bar. The moose was so drunk that it seemed unaware that its antlers were wrapped in Christmas lights it snagged from a city tree.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN FOLLOWS DIRECTIONS IN ANONYMOUS TEXT MESSAGE _ An unidentified man in New Zealand got a series of text messages on his phone saying that two young women wanted to, um, have a little fun. The man proceeded to the indicated address and, as suggested, removed his clothing, tossed it through the front window and let himself in. The house’s occupants had not sent the messages; they called police. Investigators traced the prank to a 17-year-old girl.

ENTERTAINMENT & TV

60 SECONDS LEFT: A MOVIE COUNTDOWN TO THE NEW YEAR _ Video editor Dr. Machakil celebrates the upcoming arrival of 2018 with this supercut of characters from new and classic films counting down from sixty to one. • VIDEO

2017 U.S. BOX OFFICE SET TO FALL TO THREE-YEAR LOW _ The final number for the 2017 North American box office haul will decline by about 2.5% from last year’s record-setting $11.38 billion — even with Star Wars: The Last Jedi adding more than $400 million. As of Christmas Day, the domestic total for the year was $10.68 billion, or 2.7% behind the same time frame a year ago. The final six days of 2017 are likely to generate somewhere between last year’s six-day total of $408 million and 2015’s six-day haul of $431 million. So the final 2017 number will be between $11.09 billion and $11.11 billion — about $270 million behind last year’s final total.

NFL CANCELS SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL THIS WEEK _ The NFL has canceled the final Sunday night football game of the season. Next Sunday’s game had two disadvantages: The games all had a likelihood of being dull by the time Sunday night rolled around. And this coming Sunday is New Year’s Eve, a day when historically few Americans watch television. The last time the NFL held a Sunday night football game on New Year’s Eve was in 2006, when the Chicago Bears hosted the Green Bay Packers. It was quarterback Brett Favre’s last game with the Packers — and widely expected to be his last game ever. Still, only 13.4 million people watched that game, about a quarter fewer than the average Sunday Night Football game that season.

MTV UNPLUGGED CO-CREATOR DIES AT 65 _ Jim Burns, the co-creator of the acoustic performance series show MTV Unplugged, has died. He was 65. Burns was struck by a taxi cab while walking his dog on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.

…. Unplugged ran regularly from 1989 to 1999, spotlighting artists such as Nirvana, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton. Each episode, which ran for about an hour, let popular musicians play their hits with acoustic instruments.

LINDSAY LOHAN OWES U.S. OVER $100,000 IN TAXES _ Lindsay Lohan has been loving her new life overseas, but it seems she still has some unfinished business back in the States. According to a recently filed tax lien, the actress owes Uncle Sam $100,710.55 in taxes from the years 2010, 2014 and 2015. During that time she had a role in the Danny Trejo action flick Machete and a cameo on an episode of 2 Broke Girls. She also appeared in the reality series Lindsay on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. The actress has been living between London and Dubai.

MAD ABOUT YOU’ REVIVAL IN THE WORKS _ Almost two decades after its seven-season run wrapped, producers are considering a potential revival for NBC’s Mad About You. The Emmy-nominated comedy starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. No deals are in place and a network is not currently attached.

ON TELEVISION _ Here’s what’s on the tube tonight.

THE CAROL BURNETT 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (8p ET, CBS) — Repeat

THE GOLDBERGS (8p ET, ABC) — Repeat

THE WALL (8p ET, NBC) — New

COLLEGE FOOTBALL (8p ET, FOX) — Arizona faces Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl. More bowl games.

EA MADDEN NFL 18 CHALLENGE (8p ET, CW) — Eight world-class players vie for the title of Madden NFL Challenge champion and a share of a $150,000 prize.

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

SPEECHLESS (8:30p ET, ABC) — Repeat

DOLLY PARTON’S CHRISTMAS COAT OF MANY COLORS: CIRCLE OF LOVE (9p ET, NBC) — Jennifer Nettles, Ricky Schroder, Gerald McRaney, Alyvia Alyn Lind, and Dolly Parton star in this 2016 made for TV movie.

MODERN FAMILY (9p ET, ABC) — Repeat

PENN AND TELLER: FOOL US (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

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

MATCH GAME (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

SEAL TEAM (10p ET, CBS) — Repeat

BITS & BREAKS

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE

From JamesShuggins.com

• Falling in love.

• A hot shower.

• No lines at Walmart, Target or any other big store.

• Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

• Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

• Hot towels out of the dryer.

• Chocolate milkshake.

• A good conversation.

• Finding a $20 bill in your coat from last winter.

• Having someone tell you that you’re beautiful.

• Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.

• Hot chocolate.

• Getting butterflies in your stomach every time you see that one person.

• Holding hands with someone you care about.

• Riding the best roller coasters over and over.

• Watching the expression someone’s face as they open a much-desired present from you.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Per person, residents of Maryland use more of this than residents of any other state. (Toilet paper)

IT’S BOWL SEASON

It’s time for college football bowls. Some of these are real, some are made up.

• Grape Nuts Bowl (made up)

• Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl

• Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl

• Band-aid Bowl (made up)

• Fruit of the Loom Comfy Colored Undies Bowl (made up)

• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

• Dollar General Bowl

• Camping World Bowl

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 28, 2017

This is day 362 of 2017. There are 3 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Stan Lee is 95

• Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter films) is 83

• TV personality (CBS This Morning) Gayle King is 63

• Denzel Washington is 63

• Country singer Joe Diffie is 59

• Country singer-guitarist Marty Roe of Diamond Rio is 57

• Seth Meyers (Late Night With Seth Meyers) is 44

• Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike, True Blood) is 41

• John Legend is 39

• Sienna Miller is 36

• Miles Brown (Black-ish) is 13

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1612: Galileo Galilei became the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly cataloged it as a fixed star.

• 1846: Iowa was admitted as the 29th U.S. state.

• 1869: William E. Semple of Mount Vernon, Ohio, patented chewing gum.

• 1902: The first indoor professional American football game was played in New York City at Madison Square Garden.

• 1945: The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.

• 2000: Retail giant Montgomery Ward announced it is going out of business after 128 years.

• 2010: Remains of a human that lived 400,000 years ago were discovered in Israel, challenging the theory that humans originated in Africa.

• 2012: Vladimir Putin signed into law a ban on U.S. adoption of Russian children.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Endangered Species Act Day

• Chocolate Day

• Pledge of Allegiance Day

• Card Playing Day

UPCOMING

INTERPREP ★ DECEMBER 26, 2017

Light issues are being published this week. No issue on New Year’s Day. The full prep will return January 2, 2018.

Bits & Breaks • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment & TV • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Wacky-But-True • USER’S GUIDE

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 26, 2017

This is day 360 of 2017. There are 5 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Caroll Spinney (Big Bird on Sesame Street) is 84

• Phil Spector is 78

• America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh is 72

• Baseball Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk is 70

• Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is 63

• Lars Ulrich of Metallica is 54

• Actor-singer Jared Leto is 46

• Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) is 31

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1825: The Erie Canal opened

• 1862: Four nuns who were volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover were the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.

• 1919: Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees.

• 1933: The Nissan Motor Company was organized in Tokyo, Japan.

• 1933: FM radio was patented.

• 1947: Twenty-six inches of snow fell in 16 hours in New York City.

• 1963: Capitol Records, the EMI-affiliated company which had rejected U.S. rights to every Beatles record until then, finally released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” backed with “I Saw Her Standing There.” Within five weeks, it was #1.

• 1968: Led Zeppelin made its U.S. debut with a performance in Boston.

• 1982: Time Magazine’s Man of the Year was for the first time given to a non-human, the personal computer.

• 1991: The pistol Jack Ruby used to shoot Lee Harvey Oswald sold for $220,000.

• 1999: A 40-year-old Florida man was arrested after letting his 13-year-old son drive a stolen van into two parked cars and through the back deck of a house. The father said he just wanted to give his son a Christmas present.

• 2004: An earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter magnitude scale created a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, The Maldives and many other areas around the rim of the Indian Ocean, killing more than 300,000.

• 2012: A law banning Americans from adopting Russian children was approved by Russia’s parliament.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Whiner’s Day

• Candy Cane Day

• Thank You Note Day

• Kwanzaa begins

• Boxing Day in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

UPCOMING

NEWS ATTACK!

Several male executives behind the Miss America contest have been forced out of office after they sent a series of vulgar emails about the women. [What a surprise. Men who like to ogle women were found to be a bunch of dirty old men.]

Police nabbed a couple driving through Nebraska with their truck stocked with 60 pounds of high-grade marijuana. [The smell inside the vehicle was so pungent that the police sniffer dog is now in rehab.]

California residents saw a mysterious object in the sky and immediately called 911 to report a UFO. However, it turned out to be one of Elon Musk’s rockets. [Being pulled by eight tiny reindeer.]

Have you seen that police body cam video from Florida where a policeman’s uniform is caught in the door of a suspect, and the driver decides to try driving away? [Those body cams come in handy. They should make everyone working in Hollywood wear one.]

The CEO of Papa John’s got into trouble and had to step down. [He’s now making deliveries for Domino’s.]

Remember the other week when the price of Bitcoin was bursting through the roof? Well, things changed and now it’s been dropping. [In other words, my brother-in-law is never going to move out of our basement.]

Former baseball great Daryl Strawberry says that he used to have sex during the game. [So much for the argument that baseball’s boring.]

When Maryland police raided a frat party there was so much alcohol that the air tested positive on the Breathalyzer. [The frat will probably use that fact as a recruiting tool.]

Christmas Presents

[Did your family give you any clothes in your size or only in the size that they want you to be?] [I hate the pressure of picking out just the right Amazon gift certificate.]

Christmas Food

[I hate the people who think that just because they have candy canes dangling from their rearview mirrors they’re entitled to park in the handicapped spaces.] [Christmas is over and New Year’s is on the way. That means it’s time to stop pretending that you like eggnog, and it’s time to start pretending that you like champagne.]

Santa

[Santa had fewer deliveries this year. There were so many homes in D.C. and Hollywood that he completely skipped.] [It was a tough night for Santa. He was threatened with missiles over North Korea; he choked on pollution over China; and, as an immigrant, he had to go to federal court just to get permission to enter the U.S.] [Please remember that Christmas is over. Any old fat men with beards still lurking near children at the mall should be promptly reported.]

Christmas Music

[There are two kinds of people: the people who continue to sing Christmas songs after Christmas is over, and the people who are arrested for assaulting them.]

Family

[December 25 is a time to be with your family. December 26 is a time to remember why you moved away.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

QUEEN USES CHRISTMAS SPEECH TO WELCOME MEGHAN MARKLE _ The Queen used her Christmas message to officially welcome Meghan Markle into the family. Displaying a photograph of Prince Harry and Megan as they celebrated their engagement in the garden of Kensington Palace, the Queen said she is looking forward to welcoming new members of the family in 2018. This year the Queen also paid tribute to her husband, the 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, in the year of their 70th anniversary, highlighting his “unique sense of humor”.

NEW JERSEY TOWN WILL CLOSE STREETS TO FIGHT NAVIGATION APP TRAFFIC _ Some communities hate traffic-savvy navigation apps like Waze. A congested highway can send hundreds of commuters down streets that clearly weren’t meant for more than more than a handful of cars at any given time. And one town has apparently had enough. Leonia, New Jersey will close 60 streets to everyone but residents and workers at peak driving periods (6AM to 10AM and 4PM to 9PM) from January 22 onward. If you’re using a nav app, the town may effectively cease to exist at rush hour. It’s extreme, but Leonia is in an unusual position. When slow traffic steers people through the town, it can prove a nightmare for residents who might not even have a chance to leave home until the traffic clears. The town’s police chief said Leonia had tried limited closures and warning navigation app providers, but that just pushed problems on to other streets — and that’s assuming drivers heeded the redirections in the first place.

WORKERS ARE TRULY PRODUCTIVE FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS _ Your brain is a muscle. Exercise it, but also give it plenty of rest. A new report says long hours at work increase your risk of heart disease by 40%, making it almost as dangerous as smoking. Also, the extra hours aren’t likely to help you get more done: One British survey found workers were only productive for about 3 hours in an 8-hour work day. You’re better off taking time to do nothing, allowing your brain to enter a resting state called the default-mode network.

OBAMA’S CHRISTMAS TWEET BEATS TRUMP’S _ Former President Barack Obama won the battle of the Merry Christmas tweets. The Obama’s tweet has had over 780,000 likes and 160,000 retweets, compared with Donald Trump’s 195,000 likes and 48,000 retweets.

CREATIVE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS _ Feel like you start the new year ready to reinvent your life, only to find that, a month later, you’ve given up on everything and are living a life that’s totally indistinguishable from last year? Maybe the problem isn’t you. Maybe you’re just bored of making and breaking the same resolutions over and over again. So why not break the rut this year? Try a new resolution — something creative and interesting.

… Choose one person you disagree with and take them out to lunch. Most of us are guilty of “other-ing” people who think or act differently than we do. As a result, we stop seeing their humanity and focus on their differences. Is there anyone you find yourself judging or negatively stereotyping because of their views? Invite them to lunch. However, before you meet, agree on some ground rules — that neither of you will persuade, defend or interrupt. Be curious, conversational and real. And be sure to listen.

… Schedule weekly time to be bored.
If your brain is always occupied, then you’re probably missing out on some of your best ideas. When you get bored, you ignite a network in your brain called the “default mode,” where we connect disparate ideas and solve some of our most nagging problems. Also during boredom we do something called “autobiographical planning.” This is when we look back at our lives, we take note of the big moments, we create a personal narrative, and then we set goals and we figure out what steps we need to take to reach them.

… Become pen pals with someone in prison. When Marlon Peterson was in prison, he began receiving letters filled with stories and cartoons from schoolchildren. They made him feel like he mattered, and he also shared them with two of his friends who were inmates. Now they’re all published writers, gun violence prevention advocates, and youth program innovators — and Marlon says he owes it to the pen-pal program. Once a month, gather some friends to write letters to people at a local prison. Your words might provide the motivation and hope that they need to rebuild their lives.

… Do one thing that scares you — knowing you’ll get rejected. Want to get over a fear of rejection? Jump head first into it. For 30 days, find a new way to get rejected every day. Like ask for a “burger refill” the next time you’re at a restaurant. Or, ask a stranger for $100. By the end, you’ll desensitize yourself from the pain of rejection — a pain that could be holding you back from goals you want to accomplish.

… Talk to a stranger every week. It’s easy to get swept up in your routine and forget about the people around you. This year, commit to talking to strangers — whether it’s the person waiting in line with you at the grocery store, someone you see everyday on your morning commute, or a parent at your child’s school. Even if it’s just “hello” or a “how are you doing today,” those little interactions can brighten your day and make another person feel seen.

FRIENDS FOR 60 YEARS FIND OUT THEY’RE BIOLOGICAL BROTHERS _ Alan Robinson and Walter Macfarlane have been the best of friends for 60 years. But the Oahu, Hawaii men, got a life-changing surprise just in time for the holidays when they discovered they’re actually biological brothers. Walter had been searching for his father and decided to get a DNA test. When the results came back, the anonymous username Robi747 came back as a match in many ears. Walter knew his friend Alan Robinson often went by the nickname Robi — and he used to fly 747 airplanes. After a few phone calls back and forth, the men learned they shared the same birth mother. The two best friends who are now brothers say it was the best Christmas present they could have imagined.

CLEVELAND BROWNS SECURE NO. 1 PICK OF DRAFT WITH LOSS TO BEARS _ For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Browns will control the first round of the NFL draft. Cleveland secured the No. 1 overall pick with Sunday’s 20-3 loss to the Bears, a defeat that left the Browns with a staggering 0-15 mark on the year. The Browns become the first team to pick No. 1 overall in back-to-back drafts since Cleveland did the same in 1999 and 2000.

… With the Steelers up next and still fighting for playoff positioning in the AFC, the prospect of an 0-16 season is very real.

WE’RE GAINING WEIGHT AT WORK _ Every employee strives for a fatter paycheck — but a survey shows that most are getting a plumper waistline instead. Cold weather, holidays and office parties can make the problem even worse. Forty-nine percent of workers say they’ve gained weight at their current jobs. Twenty-eight percent of workers have gained more than 10 pounds at his or her present job, while an additional 13 percent of employees have gained more than 20 pounds.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FAMILY ELECTRICITY BILL: $284,460,000,000 _ Imagine opening your electric bill and seeing a figure of $284,460,000,000 under the amount owed. Pennsylvania’s Mary Horomanski had exactly that experience. She says, “My eyes just about popped out of my head! We had put up Christmas lights and I wondered if we had put them up wrong.” A utility spokesman said it was merely a decimal error. The actual bill: $284.46.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SUSPECT FLEES POLICE BY JUMPING IN RIVER _ Officers with the Springfield, Oregon, Police Department responded to a report of a man pushing a shopping cart that was fully engulfed in flames down a street. Officers arrived and found that the flames were roughly 12 feet in the air and catching tree limbs and surrounding grass on fire. When the suspect noticed police he fled toward a nearby river and then jumped in. He was arrested when he came out of the water. When questioned about the shopping cart fire the man said, “I guess I was just a little too high.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN FIRED FOR ALWAYS TYPING AT WORK _ A woman in Germany was fired from her job at an industrial equipment manufacturer for working on side-project on company time. A few months ago the woman was given a desk job. After a few weeks, her supervisor noticed was typing almost constantly. The company had a computer technician examine the employee’s computer. The investigation showed she was working on what appeared to be a novel.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MEN TRY TO ROB TRUCK, CAN’T OPEN IT _ A truck driver in England was forced to stop by an obstruction in the road. After he stopped, two men forced the driver out of the truck and drove off. The truck driver walked to a nearby inn and called police. Four hours later they found the truck unopened. Apparently the two truck hijackers had no clue how to open the cargo container the truck was hauling. There were signs that the men had used sledgehammers and some sort of explosive, neither of which worked. Police are still looking for the men.

ENTERTAINMENT & TELEVISION

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI DOMINATES CHRISTMAS BOX OFFICE _ Star Wars: The Last Jedi neared the $400 million mark Monday at the U.S.-Canada box office. Worldwide The Last Jedi should hit $800 million in ticket sales before the weekend.

… Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle made $52 million Friday-Monday.

TOP TEN MOVIES _ Box office numbers for Friday through Christmas Day.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, $100.6 million
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, $52.1 million
Pitch Perfect 3, $25.6 million
The Greatest Showman, $14 million
Ferdinand, $9.6 million
Coco, $7.3 million
Downsizing, $7.2 million
Darkest Hour, $5.4 million
Father Figures, $4.9 million
The Shape of Water, $4.3 million

IN THEATERS FRIDAY _ There are no new wide-release movies until January 5: Insidious: The Last Key.

NEW ON DVD _ Released December 26. • LINK

• The Mountain Between Us
• Flatliners
• Jeepers Creepers III
• Manhunt: Unabomber
• Killing Gunther

ON TELEVISION _ Here’s what’s on the tube tonight.

QUICK LANE BOWL (5:15p ET, ESPN) — The Quick Lane Bowl has the 6-6 Duke Blue Devils facing the 8-4 Northern Illinois Huskies in Detroit. This is the first appearance for both schools in this game.

NCIS (8p ET, CBS) — Repeat

HAPPY NEW YEAR, CHARLIE BROWN (8p ET, ABC) — Holiday special

ELLEN’S GAME OF GAMES (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat

LETHAL WEAPON (8p ET, FOX) — Repeat

THE FLASH (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

THE 40TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS (9p ET, CBS) — Honorees this year were choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan, hip-hop artist LL Cool J, television writer and producer Norman Lear, and musician Lionel Richie. Stephen Colbert hosts.

RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR (9p ET, ABC) — Rudolph comes to the rescue when an evil bird kidnaps the New Year baby.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER (9p ET, NBC) — Repeat

THE MICK (9p ET, FOX) — Two repeats

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

CACTUS BOWL (9p ET, ESPN) — Kansas State vs. UCLA

MAJOR CRIMES (9p ET, TNT) — Two new episodes

CHICAGO MED (10p ET, NBC) — Repeat

KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

DROP THE MIC (10:30p ET, TBS) — Celebs battling in this new episode are a capella group Pentatonix battling Bell Biv Devoe. Then, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi and American Idol’s Randy Jackson throw down.

BITS & BREAKS

BANKS ARE CHARGING TO MAKE CHANGE?

EDITOR: We spotted this complaints on the NextDoor app. Share it as if you saw it yourself on social media, or heard it at a holiday gathering.

“I stopped at the drive up window of a bank and asked if they could change a hundred dollar bill for five 20s. I was refused when they asked if I have an account with their bank and I told them “no.” The only way they would make change is to charge me a 5% transaction fee — meaning I would receive $95. My attempt at trying to explain this is not a check but a genuine $100 bill with a picture Ben Franklin did not go anywhere. I went across the parking lot to a major retail store, and a pleasant young lady at the service desk turned my $100 into 20s with a smile — and no fees.”

WHAT WE STUCK IN OUR BODIES THIS YEAR

It’s that time of year to learn what America shoved inside itself. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s database of emergency room visits, here’s what we stuck into our bodies this year:

EAR

Bobby pin
Bread
Battery
Stuffed paper towel in ears to act as ear plugs because roommate was snoring, unable to get it out of ear.
A bean
Pencil shavings

NOSE

Candy wrapper
Fuzzy arts and crafts ball
Gum
Wad of hair
Heart-shaped necklace pendant
Fishtank gravel
Baby bottle nipple
One magnet in each nostril

THROAT

Open safety pin
Cigarette
Diary key
Aquarium thermometer
Sewing needle
Confetti
Hot sauce packet

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: There are 330 of these in the U.S. Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, North Dakota and Wyoming don’t have any. (Drive-in theaters)

WHO SAID IT?

Which celebrity said their favorite things are “the smell of my daughter’s breath, a fresh-cut lawn, pulling up to a film set for the first time…”

• Katie Holmes*

• Gwyneth Paltrow

• Angelina Jolie

• Julia Roberts

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 27, 2017

This is day 361 of 2017. There are 4 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Cokie Roberts is 74

• Gerard Depardieu is 69

• Eva LaRue (CSI: Miami) is 51

• TV journalist Savannah Guthrie is 46

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1932: The Radio City Music Hall in New York City opened.

• 1941: Puppets Howdy and Double Doody were born in Doodyville, Texas. They made their TV debut in 1947 on their 6th birthday.

• 1968: Apollo 8 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, ending humanity’s first manned mission to the Moon.

• 1971: Sonny & Cher were given a regular variety show on CBS-TV after their summer replacement show was a big success. “The Sonny & Cher Show” lasted four seasons.

• 1989: The album “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” by Elmo and Patsy was certified gold.

• 2014: Sony’s gaming service went back online after a hacking attack disrupted its PlayStation Network.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Free Balloon Day

• Visit The Zoo Day

• Fruitcake Day

UPCOMING

INTERPREP PRO ★ DECEMBER 15, 2017

This is a full version of InterPrep PRO. Country radio pros: Look for additional prep at the bottom.

Subscribe with the link above and if you’re not 100% satisfied during your first month we’ll give you a full refund.

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 15, 2017

This is day 349 of 2017. There are 16 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Tim Conway (The Carol Burnett Show) is 84

• Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five is 75

• Don Johnson (Miami Vice, Nash Bridges) is 68

• Helen Slater (City Slickers, The Secret of My Success) is 54

• Paul Kaye (Game of Thrones) is 53

• Adam Brody (The O.C.) is 38

• Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) is 36

• Charlie Cox (Netflix’s Daredevil) is 35

• Camilla Luddington (Grey’s Anatomy) is 34

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1791: The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, took effect following ratification by Virginia. Among other things, these amendments guarantee freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to peaceably assemble, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.

• 1938: Ground was broken for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

• 1939: Gone With the Wind had its world premiere in Atlanta.

• 1944: Bandleader Glenn Miller was killed when his U.S. Army plane disappeared over the English Channel.

• 1966: Walt Disney died at age 65.

• 1979: Trivial Pursuit was conceived.

• 2001: The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened after 11 years and $27 million to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean.

• 2006: Romanian police said they were looking for two burglars who broke into a woman’s apartment and left her some money. The 86-year-old told police two young men, wearing masks, trashed her apartment. She said they rummaged for money or valuables but found only her wallet with the equivalent of a few bucks inside. The burglars then gave the woman all of their loose change — and left without taking anything.

• 2009: Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner made its maiden flight from Seattle, Washington.

• 2012: Hilary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, fainted from dehydration and sustained a concussion after falling in her home.

• 2015: The Mayor of Flint, Michigan, declared state of emergency over contaminated water supplies amid calls for a a criminal investigation.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Underdog Day

• Bill of Rights Day

• Free Shipping Day

• International Tea Day

• Cupcake Day

• Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

• Gingerbread Latte Day

UPCOMING

• December 15: Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
• 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

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16

• Liv Ullman is 79. Lesley Stahl is 76. Steven Bochco is 74. Benjamin Bratt is 54. Country singer Jeff Carson is 54. Miranda Otto is 50. Krysten Ritter is 36.

• Chocolate-covered Anything Day. Day Of Reconciliation.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17

• Pope Francis is 81. Ernie Hudson is 72. Chris Matthews is 72. Eugene Levy is 71. Country singer Sharon White of The Whites is 64. Barry Livingston is 64. Bill Pullman is 64. Peter Farrelly is 61. Country singer Tracy Byrd is 51. Duane Propes of Little Texas is 51. Laurie Holden is 48. Sean Patrick Thomas is 47. Sarah Paulson is 43. Giovanni Ribisi is 43. Milla Jovovich is 42. Manny Pacquiao is 39. Shannon Woodward is 33. Emma Bell is 31.

• A Christmas Carol Day. Clean Air Day. Wright Brothers Day. Maple Syrup Day.

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

17,000: Parking spaces at The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

NEWS ATTACK!

Disney has agreed to purchase most of 21st Century Fox. [Under the deal, Bill O’Reilly will return to play Grumpy, and Sarah Palin will return as Dopey.]

Disney has agreed to purchase most of 21st Century Fox. [This makes Disney a truly massive entertainment giant. It’s now valued at two, maybe three Bitcoins.]

Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold is quitting over sexual harassment allegations. [He said that he’s looking forward to spending more time at home with the kids and their totally hot nanny.]

Police in Philadelphia responded twice to calls that a cow had slipped away from a church Nativity scene. [Well, would you want to spend a winter’s night in a manger?]

Alabama’s Roy Moore says that he will continue to fight. [I don’t know if he’s referring to politics or his attempt to be readmitted to the mall.]

A British surgeon has pleaded guilty to assault after he branded his initials on the livers of at least two patients. [I can’t afford regular surgery, much less pay extra for the monogramming.]

The second most powerful man in North Korea hasn’t been seen in a while. [And in North Korea that doesn’t mean that he’s on vacation.]

A man has had to delay his retirement after his inheritance check was lost in transit by UPS. [The only way this story could be funny is if the job that he was retiring from was UPS driver.]

The Indiana fertility doctor accused of inseminating patients with his own sperm has been given a suspended sentence. [And several thousand hours of mandatory babysitting.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

16-YEAR-OLD LOSES IT WHEN HE SEES NAME ON HARVARD LIST _ ( AUDIO) Ayrton Little of Louisiana may only be 16, but he already started setting his sights on college. While still attending TM Landry College Preparatory, Ayrton applied to his dream school: Harvard University. In a video he shared on Twitter, Ayrton is seen sitting at a computer, checking on his acceptance status. He’s surrounded by classmates who go crazy when Ayrton discovers he’s going to Harvard.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT BERATED FOR SPEAKING KOREAN _ An international student from Seoul, South Korea, was verbally assaulted by a customer at Starbucks in Walnut Creek, California, for speaking Korean. Annie An documented the scene on her phone and later uploaded a video to Facebook. In the post, An says the older woman told her “This is America. Use English only” and “Your language is disgusting.” A Starbucks employee defends An’s right to speak Korean within the establishment and nicely asks the woman to leave. Instead, she continues to berate An. • VIDEO

… As she tapped a single key on her computer the older woman said, “You’re going to be in trouble when I get this letter out,” a bystander responds, “You’re pressing numbers over and over again.” The employee had the cops called and they escorted her off the premises.

OMAROSA HAS SEEN THINGS _ ( AUDIO) One of Donald Trump’s White House aides has gone public with criticism of the Oval Office. The just-fired Omarosa, who appeared on The Apprentice, told Good Morning America Thursday she saw things while working for the president that made her “very uncomfortable” and “unhappy”. She did not deny claims she was concerned by Trump’s stance on Charlottesville, where a woman died in clashes with white supremacists, and Roy Moore, the controversial Alabama senate candidate. Omarosa even hinted at producing a tell-all account of her time in the White House, declaring she had “a profound story that I know the world will want to hear”.

AIRBUS SPENT 5 HOURS DRAWING A XMAS TREE ACROSS EUROPE _ Airbus used an A380 on a test flight to draw the outline of Christmas tree over Europe. The plane will soon be delivered to Emirates. Instead of charting some arbitrary route, the superjumbo drew the Christmas tree outline over Germany and Denmark. The flight, which took five hours and 22 minutes to complete, began and ended at the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. • IMAGE

SAD: MOTHER OF HEATHER HEYER HAD TO HIDE ASHES _ If you ask Susan Bro, there is plenty of blame to go around for her daughter’s death: 20-year-old James Fields; unprepared local authorities; white supremacists; and, yes, even Donald Trump. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Bro says she is “starting to come to [the] conclusion” that Trump is responsible for the death of her daughter, Heather Heyer, “because he definitely pushes forward a hateful agenda.”

… Four months after Heyer’s death, Bro says threats of violence continue to pour in from extremists. She’s had to inter her daughter’s ashes in a secret location known only to some family and friends.

YOU CAN ZIP LINE OVER THE MISSISSIPPI DURING THE SUPER BOWL _ February’s Super Bowl will take place in downtown Minneapolis — which sits on the Mississippi River. And for attendees of the big game, backpack company XOOX will set up a zip line to run the width of river. It will span more than 800 feet across and hundreds of feet high. The zip line ride will be $30.

TRAVELING WITH GIFTS? BE PREPARED FOR TSA TO UNWRAP THEM _ If you’re traveling with gifts, you might want to skip wrapping them. As the TSA points out, wrapped gifts are fine, but they may need to be unwrapped in some cases. The TSA explains: “Our officers try their best not to mangle the gift wrap, but it’s not a guarantee and it also slows down the line for everybody else when we have to do this. You can try to avoid this by at least ensuring your gift is a TSA-approved item. However, it’s probably best to err on the side of caution and just skip the gift wrap altogether. This way, you don’t hold up the line or waste your own time.”

FACEBOOK IS TESTING MULTIPLE ACCOUNT LOGINS _ Facebook is testing a feature that would give its users the ability to easily switch between accounts on the same computer. You’ll click the image at the top of your page to navigate between accounts. This allows you and your family or friends to more quickly switch between Facebook accounts while using the same computer. You can choose whether or not to save your password for quicker login. If you select Remember my password, you’ll remain logged in to Facebook without having to re-enter your password each time you log in. You can also remove saved login information from your account and add extra security.

DALAI LAMA LAUNCHES FREE IPHONE APP _ The Dalai Lama has launched a mobile app for followers to stay up to date with his travels and teachings. The 82-year-old exiled Tibetan spiritual leader already has a Twitter account with more than 16 million followers. His free app offers news, videos, photos and information.

… In 2013 the Roman Catholic Church launched the Pope App, which followed the Confession app where users could keep track of their sins.

WOMEN OVER 85 ARE HAPPIER BECAUSE THEIR PARTNER IS DEAD _ Women become progressively happier as they age, according to a health survey conducted in England. The survey found women have higher rates of poor mental health than men throughout much of their lives, until over the age of 85, when women’s overall happiness increases. By then, many women become widows.

JUDGE EXCUSES MAN FROM JURY DUTY AFTER HE REVEALS HE’S IN LOVE FOR THE ‘FIRST TIME’ _ A judge in Ireland showed he’s a softie for romance. The judge is being praised for excusing a 54-year-old man from jury duty after the man revealed he had planned a long weekend away with his partner and it was his ‘first time in love’.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: WHY CAN’T SOME PEOPLE SMELL ASPARAGUS IN THEIR PEE? _ Good job, science! A research team from Harvard used two big studies of 6,900 men and women to find out why some people can smell asparagus in their pee and some can’t. They looked through 9 million different genes to see why, and found 871 mutations in the majority of people who cannot smell the effects of eating asparagus in their own urine.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SARCASTIC ‘THANK YOU’ NOTE GOES VIRAL _ A sarcastic ‘thank you’ note to a heating company in China has gone viral. The email sent to the heating company and shared anonymously online expressed “gratitude” for forcing the email’s author and partner to find alternative sources of warmth. The email reads: “I would like to thank the [company’s] CEO for saving a marriage. My husband and I have to hug each other when we sleep, otherwise we would freeze.” The author goes on to explain that the couple had been considering divorce and “hadn’t even been sharing the same bedroom.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FUGITIVE SITS ACROSS FROM DEPUTIES IN RESTAURANT _ Perry County, Kentucky, sheriff’s deputies were having lunch at a local restaurant when they spotted a fugitive they’d been looking for — seated directly across from them at another table. So the deputies let the fugitive finish his meal and then followed him outside to make the arrest.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NON-DRINKER CHARGED WITH THIRD DUI _ Chad Donahue of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was pulled over for allegedly driving 66 in a 35 zone. Donahue showed indications of intoxication and failed field sobriety tests, and his blood alcohol was measured at .2 percent. When asked if he was intoxicated, Donahue replied, “I don’t drink.” He was charged with drunk driving — his third offense.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: $60 PANTS COST COUNTY $4,285 _ When a probation officer went to visit a client at her Williamsport, Pennsylvania, home, she ran — and the officer tore his pants chasing her. So he asked the county to reimburse him $60 for the pants. The County Controller refused — and spent $4,285 on legal fees to fight the issue. A judge ordered the Controller to pay the $60, but called it a “fringe benefit” and withheld taxes. And she appealed the ruling, racking up more legal fees.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF RUNS OUT OF GAS, ASKS COP FOR HELP _ In Massachusetts a guy snatched a woman’s purse as she was coming out of a store. He then made his getaway but didn’t get very far before his truck ran out of gas. Leaving the truck on the side of the road, the purse thief walked to the nearest gas station. And on his way back, he hailed down a police cruiser and asked for a lift back to his truck. Police had already been alerted to be on the lookout for the truck, and after seeing the stolen purse on the front seat the thief was placed under arrest.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TREE THIEVES LEAVE LICENSE PLATE _ Some guys in Maine stole more than two dozen Christmas trees from a local lot, backing a flat bed trailer up and simply hauling them away. One thing the tree thieves did wrong: They backed that trailer a little too far into a snowbank and when they pulled away they left a license plate behind, stuck in the snow.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBERS STOP WRONG TRUCK, GET LOAD OF CHEESE _ In Italy a gang came up with a plan to rob an armored car. They cut down some trees, blocked off a remote country road, and waited for their victims to drive up. Not long after, the truck screeched to a halt at the log barricade. The gang jumped out of their hiding spots and pointed guns at the driver, screaming at him to open the door. The flustered driver did as he was told, but when the gang looked inside, they didn’t see the bags of money they were expecting. Instead, the truck was full of cheese. It was the wrong truck.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF BROUGHT HIS OWN BRA _ In Japan, a 20-year-old man broke into a woman’s home, stole her purse and clothes, and then went to her bank to try to withdraw money from her account. He put on his victim’s beige sweater and pale green skirt, plus his own long wig, pretending to be the woman. But the bank teller got very suspicious and called the account holder’s phone number to verify the transaction. When the real woman answered the phone and told the teller she’d been robbed, the teller called the cops. When they got him to jail, they made him put on men’s clothes and took away the woman’s clothing — but he protested that the bra and panties were his. The victim verified that the thief hadn’t taken any of her underwear, so the cops let him keep it.

ON TELEVISION

FRIDAY

ONCE UPON A TIME (8p ET, ABC) — New.

MACGYVER (8p ET, CBS) — New. The LAPD arrests Mac for terrorism.

BLINDSPOT (8p ET, NBC) — New. The team runs a covert operation out of Jane and Weller’s apartment.

HELL’S KITCHEN (8p ET, FOX) — New. The remaining chefs compete in the infamous blind taste test challenge.

THE 86TH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE (8p ET, CW) — Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams host this annual parade.

HAWAII FIVE O (9p ET, CBS) — Two new episodes air tonight.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (9p ET, ABC) — New.

DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition

SEASON FINALE: THE EXORCIST (9p ET, FOX) — New. The exorcists must make the ultimate sacrifice to save Andy’s life.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR (9p ET, PBS) — Tenor Rolando Villazon joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in this annual holiday special.

RUSH: TIME STAND STILL (9p ET, Showtime) — This documentary follows the Canadian band on their final tour. Paul Rudd narrates.

20/20 (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN JOHNSON (Amazon) — Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in this new comedy series as a version of himself. The show is about a former martial arts movie star, who occasionally works dangerous undercover cloak-and-dagger missions.

WORMWOOD (Netflix) — Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris mixes drama and documentary to tell the tale of the CIA’s experiments in LSD-fueled mind-control. Peter Sarsgaard stars as a man who claims that the death of his father was tied to the C.I.A.’s secret experiments.

SATURDAY

I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN (8p ET, ABC) — Christmas special

GOING IN STYLE (8p ET, HBO) — Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin star in director Zach Braff’s 2017 remake of this 1979 heist comedy.

TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY (9p ET, ABC) — This Kyra Sedgwick drama returns with 2 new episodes.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — New. Kevin Hart hosts the final episode of 2017 with musical guest Foo Fighters.

SUNDAY

NFL Football schedule.

A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE (7p ET, FOX) — This three-hour live production will feature Tony winner Matthew Broderick as the grown-up Ralphie Parker. Based on both the movie and the Tony-nominated 2012 Broadway show, this musical event has the narrator (Broderick) looking back on his childhood memories of Christmases spent with his lovably goofy parents (Maya Rudolph and Chris Diamantopoulos). Tony winner Jane Krakowski also stars.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (8p ET, ABC) — Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer star in the 1965 musical classic.

WISDOM OF THE CROWD (8:30p ET, CBS) — New

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8:30p ET, NBC) — The 6-7 Raiders play their last home game of the regular season when they host the 7-6 Cowboys.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (9:30p ET, CBS) — New

MADAM SECRETARY (10:30p ET, CBS) — New

ENTERTAINMENT

IN THEATERS TODAY _ Star Wars: The Last Jedi should make more than $200 million across North America and close to $440 million globally.

• Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PG-13) – Having taken her first steps into the Jedi world, Rey joins Luke Skywalker on an adventure with Leia, Finn and Poe that unlocks mysteries of the Force and secrets of the past. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Gwendoline Christie, Laura Dern

• Ferdinand (PG) – After Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, is mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Voice cast: John Cena, Jeremy Sisto, Bobby Cannavale

… Opening next weekend: The Greatest Showman (Wednesday), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Wednesday), Downsizing (Friday), Father Figures (Friday), Pitch Perfect 3 (Friday).

MARK HAMILL RECALLS ‘MAKING OUT LIKE TEENAGERS’ WITH CARRIE FISHER _ Mark Hamill, who makes a triumphant return as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, recalls “making out like teenagers” with Princess Leia herself — Carrie Fisher. Hamill tells The Guardian: “Carrie and I were attracted to one another, but I knew from previous jobs that it would have been a bad idea. But Carrie and I found pretexts. I remember one time — I’m sure alcohol was involved — we were talking about kissing techniques. I said: ‘Well, I think I’m a fairly good kisser. I like to let the women come to me rather than be aggressive.’ And she said: ‘What do you mean?’ Well, next thing you know we’re making out like teenagers.”

PEOPLE FIRE BACK AFTER TAYLOR SWIFT SAID 2017 WAS BEST YEAR EVER _ After Taylor Swift posted and Insta from London about what a great year she’s had, fans fired back. Taylor wrote: “I couldn’t have asked for a better year, all thanks to you…” People responded with messages like: “I mean, yeah there were Nazis and white supremacy marches, and families are being [torn] apart, and there were mass shootings, and people are losing health care, but none of that affects me, so 2017 was great!”

WHAT LENNY KRAVITZ REALLY THINKS OF EX-FIANCÉE NICOLE KIDMAN _ One of the reasons Big Little Lies became so successful was due to its amazing cast, but did you know there’s a history between Nicole Kidman and costar Zoë Kravitz? In 2003, Kidman was engaged to Zoë’s father, Lenny Kravitz. They called the wedding off in 2004 and Lenny opened up about Nicole in the latest issue of The Journal. Lenny says, simply, “Nicole is amazing.”

NETFLIX SLAMS FCC’s REPEAL OF NET NEUTRALITY REGULATIONS _ Netflix is among the crowd blasting the Federal Communications Commission’s decision Thursday to roll back the Obama-era network neutrality regulations, which were aimed at ensuring content companies aren’t discriminated against by broadband providers. In a statement, Netflix said: “We’re disappointed in the FCC’s decision to gut the net neutrality protections that ushered in an unprecedented era of innovation, creativity and civic engagement. Today’s decision is the beginning of a longer legal battle. Netflix will stand with innovators, large and small, to oppose this misguided FCC order.”

… With the move, internet service providers will no longer be officially barred from blocking content or degrading access to it. They also will have the latitude to sell guaranteed access to content providers. The fear among net-neutrality supporters — including companies like Netflix, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon — is that ISPs could now begin charging new fees to both consumers and content companies to access video and other services. Net neutrality advocates are expected to mount a legal challenge to the repeal.

WOMAN EXPLAINS WHY SHE STREAMED BEE MOVIE 357 TIMES IN YEAR _ There’s a simple reason why a woman in the United Kingdom streams Bee Movie nearly every day: Her infant son thinks it’s the bee’s knees. Gemma Chalmers identified herself as the Netflix subscriber who streamed the 2007 animated movie starring Jerry Seinfeld 357 times in the past year, explaining it’s the only movie that keeps her 10-month-old son Jaxson from crying.

… Netflix revealed earlier this week that someone had streamed the movie 357 times between November 1, 2016, and November 2017. The streaming service did not give the name of the user, but Chalmers says she received a series of messages from friends who were certain it was her.

… The Bee Movie data released this week was part of Netflix’s year in review. The service also revealed earlier this week that one New Zealand subscriber had watched Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 331 times and 53 users had watched its original movie The Christmas Prince at least 18 days in a row.

MARIO BATALI FIRED FROM THE CHEW _ TMZ reports Mario Batali is officially cut from The Chew. ABC completed its review into multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the celeb chef and says, “While we remain unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with our show, ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment and his past behavior violates our standards of conduct.”

… Four women claimed Batali had inappropriately touched them in the past, three of whom used to work for him.

DUSTIN HOFFMAN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT BY 3 MORE WOMEN _ Three more women have come forward to accuse Dustin Hoffman of sexual misconduct, one of whom was a minor at the time of the alleged incident. Cori Thomas told Variety she was 16 and a classmate of Hoffman’s daughter, Karina, in New York at the time of the incident. After the three took a walk in Manhattan, Thomas’ parents were supposed to pick her up at a restaurant but instead, Hoffman suggested they all wait at the hotel he was staying at while leaving a note for Thomas’ parents at the restaurant.

… Thomas says when they arrived at the hotel, “Either Karina or Dustin suggested that [Karina] should go home” because it was a school night. “So she left, and I was left in the hotel room with him alone.” Shortly after Karina departed, according to Thomas, Hoffman went to the restroom. She heard the shower turn on. After several minutes, “He came out of the bathroom with a towel at first wrapped around him, which he dropped. He was standing there naked. I think I almost collapsed, actually. It was the first time I had ever seen a naked man. I was mortified. I didn’t know what to do. And he milked it. He milked the fact that he was naked. He stood there. He took his time.” Hoffman eventually put on a robe and sat on the bed. He then asked her to massage his feet. She complied.

… Thomas says: “What saved me was that the phone rang, and it was my mother downstairs to pick me up.” She didn’t tell her mother about the story until decades later.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM RENEWED FOR SEASON 10 _ Curb Your Enthusiasm has been renewed for Season 10. The series returned for Season 9 in October, marking its first set of new episodes since 2011. Production on Season 10 will begin next spring.

THE SIMPSONS PREDICTED DISNEY BUYING FOX 19 YEARS AGO _ The news of Disney’s $66 billion merger with Fox has some worried and others excited. But no one should be surprised by the merger — the deal was predicted by The Simpsons 19 years ago. This moment of cultural clairvoyance took place in Season 10 of The Simpsons, in an episode titled When You Dish Upon A Star. Aired in November 1998, the episode included a scene at the offices of 20th Century Fox — described as “A Division Of Walt Disney Co.”

48 HOURS REMAKE COMING _ The 1982 action comedy 48 Hrs. is getting a remake. The original film stars Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte.

ACTRESSES TO PROTEST SEXUAL HARASSMENT BY WEARING ONLY BLACK TO THE GOLDEN GLOBES _ Amid almost non-stop sexual misconduct allegations in Hollywood, a source says that more than thirty female actresses who are attending and or presenting at the 2018 Golden Globes have vowed to wear all black to the ceremony.

… Nominations for the 2018 Golden Globes were announced on December 11. The 2018 Golden Globes will take place Sunday, January 7.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.

• OMAROSA SPEAKS: Omarosa on Good Morning America. → December 15 News & Nuggets

• HARVARD: With his high school classmates by his side, a Louisiana teen learns he’s going to Harvard. → December 15 News & Nuggets

• MUSIC BED: The Jive Turkeys – Get Down Santa

• STAR WARS: It’s time for The Last Jedi. Here’s the main Star Wars theme.

• CHRISTMAS: Lots of Christmas drops.

INTERPREP PROSHARE

More prep in the Facebook Group.

BITS & BREAKS

PHONER PHUN

How are you different now than a year ago?

… Did you lose weight (or lose a spouse)?

… Are you better educated?

… Making more money?

… Did you land a dream job?

… Are you smarter than a year ago? Why?

WHAT SECRET HAVE YOU AND YOUR SIBLING MANAGED TO KEEP FROM YOUR PARENTS?

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What secret have you and your sibling managed to keep from your parents?

A guy shared his sibling secret on Reddit:

We had a huge Chicago snowstorm and got a day off school. My mom still had to go to work but she trusted me to watch over my two little brothers for the day. At the time I was 13 and my brothers were 9 and 5. As soon as she left we decided to go outside to play. My youngest brother and I convinced our middle brother to jump off the roof of our house into a big pile of snow in nothing but his boxers. He climbed up to the roof and started to freak out. We convinced him everything would be fine and with a surprising lack of arm-twisting he belly flopped off the roof. He hit the deep pile of snow and started screaming.

He stood up and his knee looked like raw chicken. There were bloody chunks of meat hanging out of the wound and he was in excruciating pain. The crying wouldn’t stop and I knew I was going to be in trouble. We knew mom was going to kill us when she came home so we came up with a plan. He would just need to suck it up for 8 hours and we’d be in the clear.

When mom came home that evening my brother limped to the garage and said he was going to ride his bike to his friend’s house. He made it to the end of the driveway, fell over, and started screaming and holding his knee. My mom rushed outside, saw the injury, and took him to the hospital.

15 years later and she still has no idea about the belly flop from the roof.

AMAZING FACTS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

• Cockroaches are smarter in the evening than in the morning.

• Around the world 269 billion emails are sent each day.

• For every human on earth there are 422 living trees.

• The average cable/satellite subscribers gets 189 channels but watches just 17.

• 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year.

• Americans spend $60 billion annually on lotteries.

• There are 41,000 Redbox kiosks across America.

• Philadelphia Cream Cheese is not actually from Philadelphia — it was actually developed in Chester, New York.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Every year, 2.1 billion of these holiday treats are made. (Candy canes)

BREAKFAST BINGO

Five questions. Each answer begins with the corresponding letter in the word BINGO.

• A dessert cake cooked in a pan of the same name. (Bundt)

• The kind of spider that went up the water spout. (Itsy-bitsy)

• Mandela, the former president of South Africa. (Nelson)

• Most Christmas trees are this color. (Green)

• In a court, the judge wants to have what? (Order)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

A Nativity scene in an East Tennessee church took a hilarious turn when the little girl playing a sheep decided to play with baby Jesus.

My little sheep took the baby Jesus, breaking all the rules leaving poor little Mary no choice but to take action! Momma to the rescue tried her best to protect her baby at all costs. Definitely a program I will remember. LOVE these kiddos and my church family! Laughed so hard I cried!

Posted by Tana Benson on Sunday, December 10, 2017

IMAGE OF THE DAY

source: teamjimmyjoe

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 15, 2017

• 1955: JOHNNY CASH’s album Folsom Prison Blues was originally released by Sun Records.

• 1986: KENNY ROGERS inked a $17 million deal with Dole Foods to promote their pineapple and other products.

• 1999: SHANIA TWAIN’s album Come On Over was certified multi-platinum for sales of 16 million copies.

• 2005: RASCAL FLATTS became the first non-solo male country act to win Billboard Magazine’s Artist of the Year award.

• 2006: RASCAL FLATTS became the first country act since 1992 to be the best selling artist in all of music for the year. Their Me & My Gang album sold 3 million copies that year.

• 2013: CHRIS CAGLE was arrested on drunk-driving charges near Greenville, Texas.

• 2013: Numerous media reported the death of RAY PRICE following a Facebook posting by his son. Ray was still alive but in a coma. He passed away the next day.

Doug Phelps of THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS and BROTHERS PHELPS is 57.

ALAN JACKSON and wife Denise celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the COUNTRY AUDIO PAGE.

• FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE on songwriting on the road.

• CARLY PEARCE has a shoe obsession.

• BRETT YOUNG loves Buffalo Wild Wings.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

ZAC BROWN BAND will perform the national anthem before the college football national championship game in Atlanta on January 8.

Three country songs make the list of tunes with the most requested lyrics through Amazon’s Alexa for 2017. BRETT ELDREDGE places highest on the list at No. 9 with Somethin’ I’m Good At, followed by OLD DOMINION’s No Such Things As A Broken Heart at No. 10 and TIM MCGRAW and FAITH HILL’s Speak To A Girl at No. 12.

KENNY CHESNEY will visit Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday (December 18).

SCOTTY MCCREERY has recorded a version of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. It’s available on SoundCloud. • LINK

CARRIE UNDERWOOD appears in her first photo since the fall that resulted in a broken wrist. The pic was taken with reality star Adrienne Gang after the pair shared a workout space. Carrie sports a brace on her arm from the fall she took at her home last month, but otherwise looks great. • IMAGE

TRISHA YEARWOOD may be involved in many projects, but she says she will always pick music over anything and everything else.

TRISHA YEARWOOD hints that she has two music projects coming in 2018.

Three country Christmas albums are available on vinyl this year — two for the first time. DARIUS RUCKER’s Home For The Holidays and LADY ANTEBELLUM’s On This Winter’s Night get their first vinyl treatment while REBA MCENTIRE’s 1987 album, Merry Christmas To You, is out on vinyl for the second time, marking its 30th anniversary.

THE WEEK’S TOP SINGLES

LUKE BRYAN – Light It Up
BLAKE SHELTON – I’ll Name The Dogs
BRETT YOUNG – Like I Loved You
LANCO – Greatest Love Story
ERIC CHURCH – Round Here Buzz
THOMAS RHETT – Unforgettable
MAREN MORRIS – I Could Use A Love Song
RUSSELL DICKERSON – Yours
CHRIS YOUNG – Losing Sleep
GARTH BROOKS – Ask Me How I Know

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 18, 2017

This is day 352 of 2017. There are 13 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones is 74

• Steven Spielberg is 71

• Movie critic Leonard Maltin is 67

• Ray Liotta is 62

• Brad Pitt is 54

• Stone Cold Steve Austin is 53

• Rachel Griffiths (Brothers and Sisters, Six Feet Under) is 49

• Sia is 42

• Josh Dallas (Once Upon A Time) is 39

• Katie Holmes is 39

• Christina Aguilera is 37

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1865: The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by Georgia, fulfilling the two-thirds requirement for ratification, and banning slavery in the United States.

• 1932: The Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in the first ever NFL Championship Game. Because of a blizzard, the game was moved from Wrigley Field to the Chicago Stadium, the field measuring 60 yards long.

• 1984: Madonna scored her first number one pop hit with “Like a Virgin.”

• 1995: Houston police warned residents that a con man already had sold $25-thousand worth of water he claimed astronauts brought back from the moon. NASA assured police there was no such thing as “moon water.”

• 1996: The Oakland, California, school board passed a resolution officially declaring “Ebonics” a language or dialect.

• 1997: Comedian Chris Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment. He was 33 years old.

• 1999: Environmentalist Julia ”Butterfly” Hill came down after living two years in the top of an ancient redwood tree in Humboldt County, California, to protest logging.

• 2004: The U.S. officially forgave all of the $4.1 billion owed the government by Iraq and urged other creditors to do the same.

• 2005: A motorist ran over the Nativity scene at a church in Watsontown, Pennsylvania. Sadly, the same thing happened the year before.

• 2006: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigned; Robert Gates was sworn in as the new Secretary of Defense.

• 2012: Signatures on an online card for Sandy Hook Elementary shooting victims surpassed 1 million.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day

• International Migrants Day

• Bake Cookies Day

• “I Love Honey” 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

INTERPREP ★ NOVEMBER 6, 2017

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 6, 2017

This is day 310 of 2017. There are 55 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Sally Field is 71

• Journalist Maria Shriver is 62

• Lori Singer (Ariel Moore in Footloose) is 60

• Ethan Hawke is 47

• Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson (The Taste, Chopped) is 47

• Thandie Newton is 45

• Rebecca Romijn is 45

• Zoe McLellan (NCIS: New Orleans) is 43

• Emma Stone is 29

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1947: Meet The Press made its television debut.

• 1861: James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was born in Ontario, Canada.

• 1976: Pat Tillman was born. Tillman was an NFL player who left his sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He joined the Army Rangers and served multiple tours in combat before he was killed by friendly fire in the mountains of Afghanistan.

• 1995: Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced plans to move the team to Baltimore.

• 1997: Former President George H.W. Bush opened his presidential library at Texas A&M University.

• 2001: Billionaire Republican Michael Bloomberg was elected New York City mayor.

• 2006: In Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, a guy awoke in a bed full of flames. The man, a smoker, then tried to drag the burning mattress outside the front door. In the process he spread fire through the home.

• 2007: Managers at a company in Australia weren’t worried when a burglar stole a piece of their equipment — probably because the item stolen was a $13,000 GPS tracking device, used by the company’s customers to track really expensive assets. Sure enough, a few days later the thief plugged the unit in and the company was immediately notified of its location. The company then notified police.

• 2012: Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay politician to be elected to the United States Senate.

• 2012: Barack Obama was reelected President of the United States.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Fill Our Staplers Day

• Saxophone Day

• National Nachos Day

UPCOMING

• November 7: Election Day
• November 8: CMA Awards
• November 10: College basketball starts
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)
• November 24: Black Friday
• November 25: Small Business Saturday
• November 27: Cyber Monday
• November 28: Grammy nominations announced
• November 28: Giving Tuesday
• December 3: Supermoon
• December 3: Selection Sunday (college football)
• December 6: Time’s Person of the Year
• December 8: The Crown Season 2
• December 9: Heisman Trophy awarded
• December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
• December 11: Golden Globes nominations
• December 12: Hanukkah
• December 15: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• December 21: First day of winter
• December 24: Christmas Eve
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 8: College football championship (Alabama won in 2017)
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 4: Super Bowl 52

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

361,000: Number of people who watched all nine Stranger Things episodes within the first 24 hours of their release.

NEWS ATTACK!

Lou Diamond Phillips stopped the police to ask for directions and was arrested for drunk driving. [The moral of the story is never volunteer to be the guy who leaves the party to get more ice.]

Popular Twitter stars have been unmasked as the work of Russian agents. [Sometimes I get the feeling that the internet is only Russian spies talking to robots who are flirting with 45-year-old men masquerading as 13-year-old girls.]

Scientists have found the chemical in the brain that allows us to be able to suppress unwanted thoughts. [Let’s hope that they have a pill ready by the 2020 election.]

According to a new survey, half of the people who are obese don’t recognize themselves as obese. [Despite the fact that they put the survey taker on hold an average of three times to go to the refrigerator.]

An amazing 28% of doctors said that they don’t consider it their job to tell their obese patients to lose weight. [“Blast it, Jim! I’m a doctor, not an infomercial!”]

A Florida woman was rejected as a potential juror in a murder trial because she said that the defendant was so attractive that it would affect her judgment. [She said that even though he’s accused of killing four people, no one’s perfect.]

Sears announced that in addition to the 250 Sears and Kmart stores it has already scheduled to close, it’s closing an additional 45 Kmart and 18 Sears locations. [Is this crazy? I might one of those stores and convert it to either a Radio Shack or a Blockbuster.]

In California a semi carrying millions of bees overturned on the highway. [Drivers became stuck in a river of honey, which wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been for the bears.]

Wisconsin lawmakers have voted to remove the minimum age restriction for hunting. [That explains those new rifles with the training wheels.]

Wisconsin lawmakers have voted to remove the minimum age restriction for hunting. [It’s not every day that you see a hunter’s vest decorated with Spongebob.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

FIRST US WOMAN TO WIN NY MARATHON SINCE 1977 _ Shalane (shuh-lane) Flanagan on Sunday became the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977. Flanagan finished second in New York for her first marathon in 2010 but hadn’t run the race since.

MOM QUIT CLEANING UP AFTER HER KIDS _ How many years of your life have you spent picking up toys? Two? Three? A billion? In a viral Facebook post, one mom shared why she’s officially done picking up after her kids and she’s “shutting the door” on the never-ending battle to have a clean house. Heidi Hamm wrong her Facebook page (Her View From Home): “I love a clean house. I do. It’s the one thing in my life that I feel like I have complete control over. If my environment is organized, life is just, better. But, kids. They don’t care. I don’t get it. Clearly they are lacking in the clean gene department. I don’t know how many times I have had the same conversation with them. Me: ‘How can you stand it? You can’t even walk in here.’ Kids: ‘Yes we can! We just play hopscotch around the toys.'”

… Hamm reveals that one night while she was picking up Lego bricks off of the floor and trying to put them in their color-coordinated boxes, her husband came in with a novel suggestion: “Why don’t you just shut the door?” It sounds easy enough, but we all know it’s not. But on that particular night, Hamm writes, she decided to take her husband’s advice.

… Now Hamm cleans up her kids’ playroom once a week. The rest of the time it looks like a gigantic mess, and she’s okay with that.

WOMAN’S BABY WAS DELIVERED BY THE JOKER _ A Nashville doctor delivered a baby dressed as the Joker. When expectant mom Brittany Selph arrived at the hospital to give birth on Halloween night her doctor, Paul Locus, was dressed up like Heath Ledger’s joker in The Dark Knight. Brittany and her husband arrived at the hospital early in the day to get her labor started and Dr. Locus left to hand out candy in his costume, vowing to change before he returned. But the parents-to-be told Dr. Locus there was no need to change; they hoped he would come back dressed as the Joker. And he did, and that’s how he delivered the couple’s daughter, Oakley Saige. Dr. Locus stayed in costume through the entire delivery. • IMAGE

FOR EVERY TWO POUNDS YOU GAIN, YOU LOSE THIS MUCH TIME OFF YOUR LIFE _ We already know maintaining a healthy weight is important. Now, according to new research, just a few extra pounds here and there will shorten your life. The study (University of Edinburgh) found that people who are overweight cut their life expectancy by two months for every two pounds of weight they carry.

TESLA’S LATEST SOFTWARE UPDATE: ‘CHILL’ ACCELERATION MODE _ High-tech electric vehicle automaker Tesla is rolling out a new feature in its cars that’ll be perfect for anyone looking for a calmer, more relaxing ride. It’s a new acceleration model titled Chill, designed to soften and smooth out the more dramatic, surging acceleration speed. After the software update rolls out there will be two acceleration modes, a “Standard” one for those who like the rapid acceleration and instant torque and a “Chill” one for people who prefer a slower, more gradual speed increase.

WOMAN INJECTS LOVER WITH MERCURY OVER BREAKUP _ In China a woman was sentenced for drugging her boyfriend’s coffee and then injecting him with mercury as he slept to stop him from leaving her. The 35-year-old woman received six years in prison. The victim began showing signs of illness but was unaware he had been poisoned until his ex texted him almost two weeks later. The ex-boyfriend now faces years of lengthy treatments for heavy metal poisoning.

TJ MAXX’s PARENT COMPANY STILL PAYING EMPLOYEES IN PUERTO RICO _ The parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Homegoods is still paying their employees in Puerto Rico, despite the fact that their stores remain closed due to damage from Hurricane Maria. A spokesman for parent company TJX said: “We believe it is the right thing for us to do under these circumstances.”

… There are 29 TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Homegood stores in Puerto Rico.

‘INFERTILE’ WOMAN AND 77-YEAR-OLD HUBBY ARE PARENTS_ Love works in mysterious ways, and this story is definitely proof of that. Kat King is 39 and thought she was infertile and had given up on the idea of ever having children. But in 2007, the German woman was backpacking around Australia and fell in love with a man she met at a campsite. She’s a bit younger than her man and the two have had a great ten years together. And now, to their surprise, they’re going to be parents. As I said, Kat is 39 and her husband is 77.

DYING MOTHER GIVEN MONTHS TO LIVE IS SAVED BY EX-HUSBAND’S NEW WIFE _ A woman in the UK who was given four months to live by doctors has been told her Stage Four cervical cancer has almost disappeared — after her ex-husband’s new wife led a fundraising campaign to pay for pioneering treatment in Turkey.

WOMAN CHARGED WITH STEALING NUNS’ CHEESECAKES _ New York State Police have charged a 48-year-old woman with stealing $250 worth of baked goods from an order of nuns known for their cheesecake. The theft occurred last month at the Nuns of New Skete (skeet) monastery in White Creek, New York. The nuns sell their cheesecakes and pastries on the honor system at the monastery’s unstaffed gift shop. Surveillance cameras caught the woman and her 21-year-old daughter taking merchandise without leaving money in the drop box. The daughter wasn’t charged.

WHY DOES CHRISTMAS START SO EARLY? _ During World War II it was necessary to mail Christmas gifts early for the troops in Europe. Merchants joined the effort to encourage customers to shop and mail early, and the protracted Christmas shopping season was born. So if you’re already tired of seeing Christmas ads… blame World War II.

SANTA CLAUS SCHOOL GRADUATES 80th CLASS _ If you want to be successful, it pays to go back to school now and again. Just ask the graduates of the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, Michigan. The 80th class of Santas graduated over the weekend. The school was started in 1937 by Charles W. Howard — who served as Santa for Macy’s — in order to instill the utmost values and etiquette in those looking to take on the role. Each year over 100 students from across the world gathered for the three-day intensive course. The $500 tuition gets students all kinds of hands-on training, lectures, and field trips geared toward prepping the Santas for every possible scenario:

• The History of Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus
• Proper dress and use of make-up
• Experience for radio and television interviews
• Santa Sign Language
• Live reindeer habits
• Newest toys and gadgets on wishlists

… Not all of it is warm and fuzzy. The school also helps Santas protect themselves and helps them navigate their rights during the crazy holiday season, from contract issues to making sure they are entitled to regular bathroom breaks.

… The golden rule? Keep your hands where everyone can see them. Even better, wear white gloves so there’s no mistake about it. Liability issues are sadly a part of the biz.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MOM CRUSHES DAUGHTER’S PHONE WITH PLIERS AT SCHOOL _ During a parent-teacher conference in China, the mom of a 17-year-old was upset that her son wouldn’t stop playing with his phone in class. So, during the parent-teacher meetup the mom pulled a pair of pliers out of her purse, took her daughter’s phone and crushed it.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LADY CAUGHT ‘DRUNK-DRIVING’ A HORSE _ A woman in Polk City, Florida, was arrested for DUI last week. She was caught drunk driving a horse.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STOLEN CAR ACTUALLY ROLLED INTO RIVER _ In Germany a man was driving along when he had to go to the bathroom. So he parked his car, got out and went to relieve himself. When he got back, his car wasn’t there. He called the police to report it stolen. When the cops showed up, they figured out it hadn’t been stolen — it had rolled away. Apparently he had parked the car on a hill but it wasn’t fully in park. The car rolled down the hill and into a river. It was a total loss.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN REPORTS WWII BOMB, POLICE FIND ZUCCHINI _ An 81-year-old German man called police to tell them he found a World War II-era bomb in his garden. When officers showed up, they instead found a large zucchini.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN FINDS WWII GRENADE WHILE GARDENING _ A British police station was evacuated after a man left a hand grenade on the front desk. Officers called in explosives experts after the World War II device was brought in by the man, who found it while working in his garden. A police spokesman said, “In retrospect we would have preferred him to leave it where it was and give us a call.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HOSPITAL TOSSES BOY’S FINGER TIP INTO TOILET _ A Malaysian hospital has acknowledged that it was a mistake to flush a severed fingertip down the toilet. The hospital said in a statement that throwing away a boy’s fingertip that could not be reattached was “against procedures,” and the fingertip should have been returned to the family. The 11-year-old accidentally sliced off part of his left forefinger while cutting a coconut.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LOBSTER RESCUE _ In Virginia a woman called animal control to ask that an officer speak with her six-year-old son. She said that she was about to boil some lobsters for dinner, but the boy didn’t want his mother to kill them, so he grabbed them, ran into his bedroom, and wouldn’t give them back. The animal control staff person who took the call suggested that she try to calm him down by explaining the food chain. If that didn’t work, the mother was advised to ask a neighbor to cook them or take the lobsters back to the store.

ON TELEVISION

THE VOICE (8p ET, NBC) — New. The Knockout rounds continue.

KEVIN CAN WAIT (8p ET, CBS) — New. Kevin and Vanessa get locked in the store after hours.

DANCING WITH THE STARS (8p ET, ABC) — New. Past season’s winners or finalists are paired with each couple to compete.

LUCIFER (8p ET, FOX) — New. Lucifer and Ella go to Las Vegas to find Candy after she goes missing.

SUPERGIRL (8p ET, CW) — New. Morgan Edge blames Lena’s lead bomb when multiple children get sick.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8:15p ET, ESPN) — The Green Bay Packers host the Detroit Lions.

THE BIG BANG THEORY (8:30p ET, CBS) — Repeat

SUPERIOR DONUTS (9p ET, CBS) — New. Randy gets aggressive during a traffic stop.

THE GIFTED (9p ET, FOX) — New. Lauren encounters a new friend with useful powers.

VALOR (9p ET, CW) — New.

RIDE WITH NORMAN REEDUS (9p ET, AMC) — In the second episode of season 2 (the premiere was Sunday), The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus and comedian Dave Chappelle ride from Charleston to Savannah.

ROLLING STONE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE (9p ET, HBO) — This 2 night documentary looks back at 50 years of the pop-and-politics magazine. Part 1 (airing tonight) tackles the years from Jann Wenner’s creation of the magazine (celebrating its 50th anniversary) through the death of John Lennon, while Part 2 (airing Tuesday) goes from the birth of punk until the present.

ALL GOVERNMENTS LIE: TRUTH, DECEPTION, AND THE SPIRIT OF I.F. STONE (9p ET, Starz) — This 2016 documentary shows the importance of investigative journalism.

9JKL (9:30p ET, CBS) — Me, Myself, and I has been pulled from the schedule. This new episode replaces it. Andrew lands a local TV job as a medical correspondent.

SCORPION (10p ET, CBS) — New. The team meets their new neighbor (guest star Tina Majorino, Grey’s Anatomy) after she sends smelly chemicals through their shared ventilation as a warning to keep the noise down.

LIVING EVERY DAY: LUKE BRYAN (10p ET, ABC) — In this new special, Robin Roberts visits country superstar Luke Bryan and his family at their Tennessee farm as he prepares to launch his new album, “What Makes You Country,” and join American Idol as a judge. The special also features an interview with CMA Awards hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

THE BRAVE (10p ET, NBC) — New. The team heads to Paris on a mission connected to Amir’s undercover past.

ENTERTAINMENT

THOR: RAGNAROK WINS BIG _ Thor: Ragnarok had one of the year’s best box-office debuts with an estimated $121 million across North America. The 2011 Thor debuted with $65.7 million; 2013’s Thor: The Dark World opened with $85.7 million.

… Thor: Ragnarok brought in $427 million globally.

… The weekend’s other new nationwide release, A Bad Moms Christmas, opened with $17 million.

JIMMY FALLON’S MOTHER GLORIA DIES _ Gloria Fallon, mother of The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, died Saturday at a hospital in New York City of an undisclosed illness. She was 68 years old. In light of the news, The Tonight Show will not air new episodes this week.

PATTON OSWALT MARRIES _ Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger were married Saturday. The happy couple broke the news to fans in a series of posts to Twitter and Instagram Sunday morning that included shots of Oswalt’s 8-year-old daughter, Alice.

UMA THURMAN’S RESPONSE TO WEINSTEIN ALLEGATIONS _ ( AUDIO) Uma Thurman will not comment on the string of sexual assault allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein until she is “less angry.” The Kill Bill star, who has worked on seven Weinstein films, was asked about the allegations but refused to comment. Uma said, in part, “So I’ve been waiting to feel less angry, and when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.”

NETFLIX OFFICIALLY SEVERS TIES WITH KEVIN SPACEY _ Netflix, one of the studios behind House of Cards, is officially severing ties with the show’s star and executive producer Kevin Spacey. And the company is also no longer moving forward with Gore, a film Spacey was set to star in.

… So will the sixth and final season of House of Cards go unfinished? The company that co-produces the drama said in a statement: “While we continue the ongoing investigation into the serious allegations concerning Kevin Spacey’s behavior on the set of House of Cards, he has been suspended, effective immediately. MRC, in partnership with Netflix, will continue to evaluate a creative path forward for the program during the hiatus.”

AMAZON WANTS A LORD OF THE RINGS TV SHOW _ It appears that Amazon wants to beat HBO by taking a page out of their playbook. Amazon wants to have their own Medieval Europe-esque fantasy TV show like Game of Thrones and would like to do so by creating a The Lord of the Rings TV series. Amazon Studios are in talks with Warner Bros. Television and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien to develop a LOTR TV series.

SEAN COMBS CHANGES NAME AGAIN _ ( AUDIO) Rapper turned businessman Sean Combs has confounded the internet by changing his name for the umpteenth time. The man who has gone by Puff Daddy and P. Diddy and more recently just Diddy on Saturday proclaimed that he now wants to be called “Love” or “Brother Love.” He made the announcement in an online video posted on his 48th birthday.

TOM HANKS HELPS MAN PROPOSE AT BOOK FESTIVAL _ The world may be a troubling place right now, but over the weekend, Tom Hanks lent his talents to spreading some joy by helping one very lucky couple get engaged at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. On Saturday, the two-time Oscar winner was at a talk about his new book, Uncommon Type: Some Stories, and at the end of the event, the superstar had a question-and-answer session. During the Q&A, Hanks read out a question from a man named Ryan McFarling: “Here’s Ryan’s question, and it’s for Nikki Young…’Nikki, will you marry me?'” Hanks then brought the pair on stage and Ryan proposed to his lady love in front of the 1,000-person audience. She said yes.

KATE UPTON MARRIES JUSTIN VERLANDER IN ITALY _ Kate Upton exchanged wedding vows with her fiance Justin Verlander in Tuscany, Italy over the weekend. The couple tied the knot at an old medieval church at the Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco resort.

… It’s a double celebration for the couple as the wedding came just days after Verlander’s team, the Houston Astros, won 2017 World Series.

MARGULIES ACCUSES WEINSTEN AND SEAGAL OF HARASSMENT _ Julianna Margulies has revealed her own terrifying encounters with Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, as well as action star Steven Seagal. The ER and Good Wife actress said that she’d narrowly avoided potential assaults by the two men, who have been the subject of similar allegations of harassment and assault by other women in the industry. Regarding Seagal, Margulies revealed that she’d been convinced to meet with him when she was 23. When the female casting director who’d coordinated the meeting and promised to be present for it didn’t show up, Margulies was left alone with the actor. She says, “He made sure that I saw his gun, which, I’d never seen a gun in real life. I got out of there unscathed. … I don’t know how I got out of that hotel room. … I sort of squirmed my way out.”

… Years later, that incident would inspire her to insist that an assistant escorting her to a hotel room to meet with Weinstein come with her upstairs. Margulies recalled, “He opened the door in a bathrobe. I could see that there were candles lit in the room, and there was a dinner for two. And I saw him stare at [the assistant]…” Weinstein complimented Margulies on her audition and sent the two on their way. Margulies says she was not given the supposedly Academy Award-worthy role that she’d been brought in to discuss.”

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE RIPS LARRY DAVID’S ‘SNL’ MONOLOGUE _ The Anti-Defamation League has ripped Larry David for his SNL monologue in which he joked about Jewish sexual predators and dating in a concentration camp. Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, which fights anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry, tweeted on Sunday, “Watched #LarryDavid #SNL monologue this AM. He managed to be offensive, insensitive & unfunny all at same time. Quite a feat.”

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• TEXAS CHURCH SHOOTING: The man who pursued the Texas shooter as the suspect fled from church explains what happened.

• SEAN COMBS: Sean Combs would like you to call him Love.

• UMA: Uma Thurman responds to question about Harvey Weinstein.

• TWITTER: A Twitter tune for when you’re talking about tweets.

• THOR’S BEST JOKE: By now you’ve probably seen the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok and the scene where Thor is in a gladiator-type situation about to do battle with someone or something — which turns out to be The Hulk. When Thor sees Hulk he’s excited and tells the crowd, “He’s a friend from work!” It turns out the best part of the joke is actually the story behind it. Chris Hemsworth was hosting a Make-A-Wish kid onset that day and the kid pitched in with an idea. Hemsworth said, “We had a young kid, a Make-A-Wish kid, on set that day. He goes, ‘You know, you should say, ‘He’s a friend from work!’”

MORE PREP IN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP

BITS & BREAKS

TOP TEN MOVIES

Thor: Ragnarok, $121 million
A Bad Moms Christmas, $17 million
Jigsaw, $6.7 million
Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, $4.6 million
Geostorm, $3 million
Happy Death Day, $2.8 million
Thank You for Your Service, $2.26 million
Blade Runner 2049, $2.23 million
Only The Brave, $1.9 million
Let there be Light, $1.6 million

… One year ago this week the number one movie was Doctor Strange.

… Five years ago this week the number one movie was Wreck-It Ralph.

… Ten year ago this week the number one movie was American Gangster.

… Twenty year ago this week the number one movie was I Know What You Did Last Summer.

IN THEATERS FRIDAY

• Murder on the Orient Express (PG-13) – A lavish train ride unfolds into a stylish and suspenseful mystery. From the novel by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express tells of thirteen stranded strangers & one man’s race to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again. Kenneth Branagh, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr., Penélope Cruz, Josh Gad, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe

• Daddy’s Home 2 (PG-13) – Brad and Dusty (Ferrell and Wahlberg), now co-parenting Dusty’s kids, have to deal with their own fathers (Lithgow and Gibson) visiting for the holidays. Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, Will Ferrell, John Lithgow

WEEKLY HOT LIST

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

Daylight Saving Time
Kevin Spacey
iPhone X
NFL Week #9
College Football
Larry David
Veterans Day
Country Music Awards
House of Cards
Selena Gomez
Stranger Things 2
Papa Johns
North Korea
Jimmy Fallon
Kate Upton/Justin Verlander
Health Care Open Enrollment
Harvey Weinstein
Thanksgiving

WHO CHEATS MORE — THE GUYS OR THE GIRLS?

Cosmo conducted an online poll of 1,000 single men and 1,000 single women, and 55 percent of guys and a shocking 59 percent of ladies said they have cheated on a partner. Relationship therapist Bonnie Eaker Weil, Ph.D. explained why women are more apt to wander:

WOMEN GET OFF ON THE RUSH — Women crave the endorphin high from the initial attraction they feel toward a new guy.

THEY WANT ATTENTION — Girls may cheat because they feel taken for granted. A new lover gives them the TLC that their beau doesn’t.

THEY FEEL PRESSURED — When women stress (especially over their guy), they may seek out another stud to lean on as a distraction.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: What American symbol weighs the equivalent of 11,093 tacos? (The Liberty Bell)

SOLVE THE MYSTERY

A man walks into his bathroom and shoots himself right between the eyes using a real gun with real bullets. He walks out alive, with no blood anywhere. And no, he didn’t miss and he wasn’t Superman or any other crusader wearing a cape. How did he do this?

Answer: He shot his reflection in the mirror.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Guy creates a commercial to help girlfriend sell her 1996 Honda.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

source: unknown

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 6, 2017

• 1947: HANK WILLIAMS recorded his best-known version of Honky Tonkin’ for MGM Records.

• 1948: LITTLE JIMMY DICKENS joined the Grand Ole Opry.

• 1956: WEBB PIERCE recorded I’m Tired for Decca Records, which spent 22 weeks on the Country Chart.

• 1964: TEX RITTER was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

• 1992: REBA MCENTIRE escaped injury when her twin engine jet crash-landed in Nashville. No one on board was hurt.

• 2002: ALAN JACKSON won five Country Music Association Awards, something accomplished by only three other artists: JOHNNY CASH (1969), VINCE GILL (1993) and GEORGE STRAIT (1996).

• 2002: PORTER WAGONER and Jumpin’ Bill Carlisle were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

• 2003: ALAN JACKSON took home three Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. JOHNNY CASH posthumously won three awards.

• 2003: Pianist FLOYD CRAMER and CARL SMITH were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

• 2003: SHANIA TWAIN was voted country star most fans would like to see pose in Playboy magazine in a poll conducted by Playboy.com.

• 2007: GARTH BROOKS’ The Ultimate Hits three disc set was released. It contained 33 hits and a DVD of music videos.

• 2007: SUGARLAND released a deluxe edition of their album Enjoy The Ride with five bonus holiday tracks, one of them an original song.

• 2010: MARTINA McBRIDE was joined by train to shoot an installment of CMT Crossroads.

• 2011: KICK BROOKS and ALAN JACKSON were added to the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville.

• 2012: RAY PRICE confirmed he was battling pancreatic cancer. Ray died at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on December 16, 2013.

STONEWALL JACKSON (Me and You and a Dog Named Boo, Waterloo) is 85.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• BRETT YOUNG and what his sister thinks of his music and country music.

• DAVID LEE MURPHY and KENNY CHESNEY: Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.

• BRAD PAISLEY and CARRIE UNDERWOOD were on The Chew and Brad was being a bit harsh.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

LUKE BRYAN is featured on ABC tonight (10p ET) on the Robin Roberts special Living Every Day, a close-up look at his life, family and rise to stardom.

KENNY CHESNEY is back at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his latest live collection, Live In No Shoes Nation. The collection is a compilation of live versions of 29 of Kenny’s biggest hits and fan favorites. Kenny first reached the peak of the all-genre Billboard 200 in 2002 with No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems.

On the same day his new album was released, BLAKE SHELTON revealed that the lake house where it was recorded was hit by a car. On Friday, Blake shared on Live with Kelly and Ryan: “This is a weird moment for me. I’m talking about Texoma Shore, and I made the album at my lake house There is a studio at my lake house in Oklahoma, and I just got a phone call. Somebody drove their truck through the front of my lake house, so if this album doesn’t hit, then that’s bad luck.”

… Blake celebrated the release of Texoma Shore by surprising a fan who pre-ordered it on Amazon. Blake dropped by a Nashville-area Amazon hub and hand-delivered the CD to a fan named Scott. • VIDEO

LADY ANTEBELLUM was honored last night (Sunday) by performing rights organization SESAC with the Humanitarian Award for their work through their Lady Aid Foundation.

DARIUS RUCKER will perform November 30 as part of the Disney Magic of the Holidays special on the Disney Channel.

KELSEA BALLERINI will visit ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday (November 8).

MICHAEL RAY has helped feed more than 100,000 shelter dogs and cats through his Wrigley Cares initiative at his concerts. In each city, Michael has asked fans to donate wet and dry food and towels. The campaign will continue on the next leg of the tour starting November 24.

…Michael was inspired to start a drive to help animals in need after rescuing a pup he named Wrigley.

LUKE COMBS was in Houston late last week to help the Country Music Association announce a $1 million donation to Houston Independent School District. The money will go toward music education, the purchase of instruments and aid for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

GEORGE STRAIT’s seventh annual golf tournament in Texas (Vaqueros Del Mar Invitational, October 26) raised $1.5 million. The money goes to Feherty’s Troops First Foundation, for military personnel wounded in action.

TUCKER BEATHARD (Rock On) will release his debut album, Dear Someone, November 17.

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 7, 2017

This is day 311 of 2017. There are 54 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Evangelist Billy Graham is 99

• Johnny Rivers is 75

• Joni Mitchell is 74

• Christopher Knight (Peter on The Brady Bunch) is 60

• Yunjin Kim (Lost) is 44

• Adam DeVine (Modern Family) is 34

• Lorde is 21

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1874: The Republican Party was symbolized as an elephant for the first time, in a cartoon by Thomas Nast in Harper’s Weekly magazine.

• 1944: President Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term in office, defeating Thomas E. Dewey.

• 1989: Douglas Wilder won the governor’s race in Virginia, becoming the nation’s first elected black governor.

• 1991: Basketball star Magic Johnson announced that he had tested positive for the AIDS virus and was retiring.

• 1994: WXYC, the student radio station of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provided the world’s first internet radio broadcast.

• 2000: Republican George W. Bush was elected president over incumbent Democratic Vice President Al Gore, though Gore won the popular vote by a narrow margin. The winner was not known for more than a month because of a dispute over the results in Florida.

• 2000: Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first first lady to win public office, defeating Republican Rick Lazio for a U.S. Senate seat from New York.

• 2002: In Bulgaria, 77-year-old Kolio Botev, claimed a world record after living for 60 years with a bullet lodged behind his right ear. He’s refused repeated offers from doctors to have the bullet removed for fear the operation would kill him.

• 2005: Residents of a retirement home in Sweden had to deal with drunk, rowdy animals when a pair of intoxicated moose invaded the premises. The moose had become drunk by eating fermented apples they found outside the home.

• 2015: Sierra Leone was declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organization.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Merlot Day

• Hug A Bear Day (The stuffed kind, not the forest kind.)

• Chocolate with Almonds Day

UPCOMING

INTERPREP ★ OCTOBER 31, 2017

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 31, 2017

This is day 304 of 2017. There are 61 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Dan Rather is 86

• David Ogden Stiers (M.A.S.H.) is 75

• Deidre Hall is 70

• Jane Pauley is 67

• Director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) is 56

• Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. of U2 is 56

• Dermot Mulroney is 54

• Rob Schneider is 53

• Mike O’Malley (Yes Dear, Glee) is 52

• Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys is 51

• Vanilla Ice (Rob Van Winkle) is 50

• Piper Perabo is 41

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1926: Magician Harry Houdini died of complications from a ruptured appendix.

• 1938: The day after his “War of the Worlds” broadcast had panicked radio listeners, Orson Welles expressed “deep regret” but also bewilderment that anyone had thought the simulated Martian invasion was real.

• 1963: At the Indiana State Fair Coliseum in Indianapolis an explosion killed 74 people during an ice skating show. It also injured 400. A faulty propane tank connection in a concession stand was blamed.

• 1970: Singer Michelle Phillips and actor Dennis Hopper were married. They divorced 8 days later.

• 1987: A professional singles tennis match in Coventry, England, ended after a record eight hours and twenty-one minutes.

• 1988: Pop star Debbie Gibson held a séance, attempting to contact Liberace and Sid Vicious.

• 1990: Singer Billy Idol dumped 600 dead fish on his opening act, Faith No More, during a Seattle concert and put four pigs and a goat in their dressing room. The group retaliated by parading naked on stage during Idol’s encore.

• 1991: At their Halloween wedding, Jayne and Dale Peterson of Madison, Wisconsin, were married dressed as Frankenstein and the bride of Frankenstein. At the reception, the champagne was chilled in a coffin.

• 2002: A four-year-old Austrian boy was so disgusted by his grandmother’s plum dumplings he dialed 911 for help. The dispatcher pleaded with the boy to give grandmother’s dumplings another chance. He finally agreed and hung up.

• 2003: Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a tiger shark and lost her left arm.

• 2005: British officials announced they were investigating the loss of a satellite phone in Iraq — a phone that may have been stolen by insurgents who ran up an $890,000 bill.

• 2007: Shoppers had to “dive for cover” when a cloud of smoke settled over a neighborhood in London, England. Witnesses said the smoke smelled like “chemicals”. A terror alert was called and a hazmat team responded. It took three hours to trace the cloud to its source: a fire crew smashed through the door of the kitchen of a Thai restaurant, which was cooking up a six-month supply of chili paste.

• 2012: The New York Stock Exchange reopened after a two-day closure due to Hurricane Sandy.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Halloween

• Caramel Apple Day

• Magic Day

• Knock-Knock Jokes Day

UPCOMING

• November 1: Health insurance enrollment opens
• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends
• November 5: New York City Marathon
• November 7: Election Day
• November 8: CMA Awards
• November 10: College basketball starts
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)
• November 24: Black Friday
• November 25: Small Business Saturday
• November 27: Cyber Monday
• November 28: Grammy nominations announced
• November 28: Giving Tuesday
• December 3: Supermoon
• December 3: Selection Sunday (college football)
• December 6: Time’s Person of the Year
• December 8: The Crown Season 2
• December 9: Heisman Trophy awarded
• December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
• December 11: Golden Globes nominations
• December 12: Hanukkah
• December 15: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• December 21: First day of winter
• December 24: Christmas Eve
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 8: College football championship (Alabama won in 2017)
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 4: Super Bowl 52

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

241: Gallons of flatulence the average person releases during their lifetime inside their cars.

NEWS ATTACK!

US News & World Report released its list of the top jobs for millennials. Number one is the field of artificial intelligence where salaries can range from $300,000 to $500,000. [But if you’re really good at what you do, doesn’t that mean that sooner or later you’re going to build a robot that takes over your job?]

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner gave a profanity-laced interview in which he dropped f-bombs on his GOP enemies. [Boehner feels comfortable to speak candidly now that he’s retired… and off the meds.]

Apple fired an engineer after his daughter posted a sneak preview of the iPhoneX. [I thought it was supposed to be the parents who publicly humiliated their children.]

The coast of Wales is being invaded by octopuses. [And the debate over the matter is getting really heated, mainly between the faction that calls them octopuses and those that call them octopi.]

The mugshot of a cute female California gang member has gone viral. [Lonely men everywhere want her number, her measurements and her preferred caliber weapon.]

A serial burglar in Pennsylvania has been sentenced to prison for a series of thefts that include stealing a houseplant he mistook for marijuana. [He has to serve from 7½ to 15 years behind bars while maintaining good behavior and attending a mandatory botany class.]

The International Olympic Committee is looking into possibly making video games an Olympic sport. [The day may come when runners aren’t carrying the Olympic torch but chasing Pokemon.]

In 2018 Saudi Arabia will begin to allow women to attend sporting events. [So I guess that means that it will also be legal for women to curse in public.]

United Airlines is now flying the longest flight of any U.S. carrier —18 hours from Los Angeles to Singapore. [That’s about the same amount of time it takes to drive from one side of LA to the other.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

HOW NOT TO APOLOGIZE _ Kevin Spacey’s being hammered not just for Anthony Rapp’s sexual assault allegation but also the way he apologized. Spacey stacked his apology on top of his first public statement about his sexuality, which brought criticisms from many respected people in and out of Hollywood. But the apology itself fell short of a true, heartfelt “I’m sorry” — as so many apologies often do.

… Spacey says he doesn’t remember (casting doubt on the allegation) and was drunk (being drunk doesn’t excuse reprehensible behavior). So what does make a good apology? Psychologist Karina Schumann published a paper on 1) why it’s so hard to effectively apologize and 2) the eight components that constitute a sincere apology. According to Schumann’s paper, there are eight notes you have to hit:

1. You actually have to use the words “I’m sorry.”
2. Acknowledge that you messed up. (As in, “I take full responsibility for my words.”)
3. Tell the person how you’ll fix the situation.
4. Describe what happened, but without foisting the blame off on someone else.
5. Promise to behave better next time.
6. Make sure the person knows you know exactly how you hurt or inconvenienced them.
7. Much like the first rule, it’s important to use some version of the phrase “I was wrong.”
8. Ask for forgiveness.

Bad apologies, on the other hand, tend to suffer from these four shortcomings:

1. Justifying your words or behavior.
2. Blaming the victim.
3. Making excuses.
4. Minimizing the consequences. (“It was just a joke!”)

SURVEY SAYS WE LOVE THE LIKE BUTTON _ It was ten years ago this week that Like appeared on a social media service. The button originally debuted on a platform called FriendFeed. At the time, it just looked like a blue hyperlink with the word “Like” as anchor text. FriendFeed, which was acquired by Facebook in 2009 and shut down in 2015, may have been the first to debut the feature, but it was Facebook which popularized the feature.

… So how much do online users — meaning all of us — like the Like? A lot, apparently. An online poll shows 88% of regular social media, blog and website visitors say the Like button, or something similar, makes the online experience better.

FACEBOOK DENIES EAVESDROPPING ON YOUR CONVERSATIONS _ Facebook has developed a reputation for doing anything it can to gather your info. That’s why conspiracy theories — like the one that alleges the site is listening to your conversations via your smartphone microphone — are so prevalent. However, a Facebook executive recently came out on Twitter to emphatically deny the practice.

… The theory holds that Facebook is eavesdropping on our conversations in order to gather information about us that it can then use to target super-relevant advertising. PJ Vogt, the host of technology podcast Reply All, put out an open question on Twitter asking his followers to call his show if they believed Facebook used phone mics to spy on them. He received many interesting responses, including one from a user who claimed a coworker received a Facebook ad saying “So you popped the question!” minutes after he proposed. However, Vogt also received a response from a Facebook executive himself: “I run ads product at Facebook. We don’t — and have never — used your microphone for ads. Just not true.”

CONTESTANTS GAVE OUT FACTS ABOUT WOMEN’S RIGHTS AS MEASUREMENTS _ Beauty pageant contestants are used to giving their measurements — bust, waist, hip— in front of a crowd. But in Peru, where women are getting killed in alarming numbers, aspiring beauty queens used their moment on the stage on Sunday to give a different kind of measurement: how many people have been affected by gender violence.

… Contestant Camila Canicoba said into the mic: “I represent the department of Lima. My measurements are 2,202 cases of femicide reported in the last nine years in my country.”

… Juana Acevedo said: “my measurements are: more than 70% of women in our country are victims of street harassment.”

… And Luciana Fernández shared: “my measurements are, 13,000 girls suffer sexual abuse in our country.”

… It wasn’t just the contestants who wanted to get the point across to their audience — violence against women was the theme of the night. Organizers of Miss Peru 2018 displayed newspaper clippings of prominent cases of murdered and assaulted women as the contestants made their way across the catwalk in bathing suits.

MOM SHOOTS BURGLAR IN THE BUTT TO PROTECT HER FAMILY _ A South Carolina (Spartanburg) mom defended her family by shooting a man in the rear. The man broke into Sharaia Walker’s home around midnight. When the masked intruder threatened her family, she says she knew what she had to do to make him leave. She grabbed her gun and as the intruder fled she shot him once in the leg and once in the butt. The man was tracked by a K-9.

WOULD-BE KIDNAPPER GRABS 13-YEAR-OLD, SHE FIGHTS WITH BACKPACK _ In Memphis, Cynthia Trotter’s daughter was on her way back home from school when something terrifying and totally unexpected happened. The 13-year-old was almost home when a black van pulled up alongside her. A man rolled down the window and said, “Hey, baby girl.” Instantly, the teen looked away and started walking faster, but the man in the van caught up to her and got out of his vehicle. He grabbed the young girl, and she knew she had to do something to escape her would-be kidnapper‘s clutches. She used the only thing she had on her: a backpack. After getting knocked to the ground the 13-year-old made it home unscathed. The creepy guy in the van hasn’t been caught.

JUDGE GIVES ‘NASTY’ TEXTER A WRITING ASSIGNMENT _ A judge on the Hawaiian island of Maui has handed down a unique sentence to a man who pleaded no contest to violating a protection order preventing him from contacting his ex-girlfriend. The judge ordered Daren Young to write 144 compliments about his ex-girlfriend, in response to the 144 “nasty” text messages and calls that he’s accused of sending her. The judge told Daren: “For every nasty thing you said about her, you’re going to say a nice thing. No repeating words.”

THE STATES THAT CONSUME THE MOST CALORIES ON HALLOWEEN _ We’re all guilty of a little over-indulgence on Halloween. How could we not be? But some folks in some states overdo it more than others. Research (by Achievement) investigated the calories logged on Halloween from various fitness tracker apps. They tallied up the calories logged and the calories burned through walking — racking up steps while roving the neighborhood for candy. The team subtracted the calories burned from the calories eaten and ranked states in order of their net intake for the night. They then compared these numbers to the average calories that each state’s residents usually consumed.

… The state with the No. 1 spot? Florida. New York came in second place, with Arizona in third. The states with the most restraint from Halloween candy temptations were Louisiana and New Hampshire.

… Full list on The Daily Meal.

FRANCE IS RUNNING OUT OF BUTTER FOR ITS CROISSANTS _ France’s much-loved croissant has run up against the forces of global markets. Finding butter for the breakfast staple has become a challenge across France. Soaring global demand and falling supplies have boosted butter prices, and with French supermarkets unwilling to pay more for the dairy product, producers are taking their wares across the border. That has left the French, the world’s biggest per-capita consumers of butter, short of a key ingredient for their sauces and tarts.

126M FACEBOOK USERS WERE SERVED CONTENT FROM RUSSIA-LINKED PAGES _ Facebook says roughly 126 million Americans may have been exposed to content generated on its platform by a Russian government-linked troll farm between June 2015 and August 2017. That estimate is equivalent to more than half of the total U.S. voting population and offers a new understanding of the scope of Russia’s use of social media to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

SOMEONE CREATED STRAWBERRY PIZZA _ Most people like fruit. Most people like pizza. But combine the two, and the results can be controversial. Thanks to Twitter, someone shared a pic and asked, “What about strawberries as an ingredient on pizza?” Twitter user @lebaenesepapi summed up most responses: “Pineapple and non-pineapple pizza eaters must put our differences aside and join forces to defeat this evil.”

MOM INVESTIGATED FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING AFTER ‘FUNNY’ TWEET _ A Mississippi mom’s tweet about her son landed her in a human trafficking investigation. Alex McDaniel posted a message on Twitter saying her 3-year-old son was for sale for $12 or best offer. She says she meant the tweet as a joke, but someone saw it and reported it to a child abuse hotline. McDaniel says a CPS worker dropped by her office and demanded to see the child. The investigation was eventually dropped. • LINK

MILLIONS ARE GETTING THEIR PETS IN ON THE HALLOWEEN ACTION _ With Americans projected to spend more than $9 billion on Halloween this year, pets are getting in on the action. One estimate shows pet costumes will account for around $440 million in spending. The most popular pet costumes are:

Pumpkin
Hot dog
Dog/lion/pirate
Bumble bee
Devil
Batman character
Ghost
Cat
Witch
Star Wars character

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: LET YOUR KIDS EAT ALL OF THE HALLOWEEN CANDY THEY WANT _ Letting your kids engage in a sugar-fueled, Snicker wrapper-strewn free-for-all today may seem like irresponsible parenting, but it turns out not micromanaging your child’s candy consumption can teach them to listen to their hunger cues. Registered dietitian Emily Fonnesbeck lets her kids go to town: “It’s tempting for a parent to believe that if they tell their kids what to do with their candy, their kids will do it and be healthier.” But apparently that doesn’t work. Kids won’t learn to listen to their own hunger cues if you’re constantly telling them what and when to eat, she explained. “They either restrict or they have all of it.”

… This doesn’t mean you have to stand idly by while your little Kylo Ren or Elsa inhales boxes of Nerds. Fossenbeck suggests asking questions that encourage kids to listen to their bodies like “How did all that candy make you feel?” and “What would you do differently next time?”

… Also, remember that Halloween is supposed to be fun. One night of wild sugar consumption isn’t going to derail their existence.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BOBCAT IN BATHROOM OF NEWSPAPER STARTLES PUBLISHER _ A small-town Oklahoma newspaper publisher found a startling front-page story practically in his newsroom: There was a hissing bobcat in the bathroom. The publisher of the paper (Sapulpa Herald) says the wild animal jumped at him one recent morning as he was heading into the restroom at his office. Sumner shut the door and trapped the adult male cat inside until police and a game warden arrived. Wildlife control workers captured the bobcat in a cage and released it in the wild.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FLORIDA MAN SHOOTS AT IMAGINED INTRUDERS _ A Florida man shot at imagined intruders and is now facing several charges. The Volusia County Sheriff’s office says the 71-year-old fired shots inside his home and wouldn’t let his adult daughter leave the house because he thought the intruders were about to hurt them. The dad eventually let his daughter leave — by climbing out a window.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HUSBAND SWALLOWS WIFE’S GOLD MEDAL DURING QUARREL _ Doctors in China had to remove a gold medal from a former athlete’s throat after he swallowed it. The man downed his wife’s 3-centimeter-wide prize during an argument. He soon suffered from severe pains and was taken to a local hospital by his 80-year-old mother. The medal was lodged in his esophagus and operated immediately to remove it.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEVES USE KETCHUP IN ROBBERY _ In Greece, two thieves ambushed a supermarket employee as he was taking cash to the bank. The men were armed only with ketchup. Police say the thieves jumped out of the bushes and threw two big bags of ketchup on the front window to stop the car. The man fought with his attackers who managed to flee on a motorcycle with only a fraction of the money he was carrying.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PICKLE ASSAULT _ In Texas two guys were hanging out at a third guy’s house. One of the two went to the fridge and helped himself to some pickles. According to a police report the homeowner said he couldn’t afford to feed everyone and not to eat his pickles. The pickle eating friend began yelling and swearing and stormed out. Later he came back, went into the fridge, pulled out the jar of pickles and threw it at his homeowner friend. Police were called and the pickle eating friend was escorted out of the home.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROMEO AND JULIET PLAN FAILED _ In Italy, a 19-year-old felt the spark had gone out of his relationship with his girlfriend. To try to rekindle the flame, he decided to recreate a scene from Romeo and Juliet. With his girlfriend waiting for him on the balcony, he began to climb up the side of the building. But the lovers did not let neighbors in on their little plan and one of them was awakened by the noise. Noticing a strange man climbing up the side of an apartment building, the neighbor called police. The police awakened the girl’s parents and that’s when Romeo decided to fess up. The cops took pity on him and decided not to press charges.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: VANDALS ADVERTISE _ In Texas police didn’t have much trouble finding a couple of teenagers accused of tearing up some lawns. The kids allegedly used a parent’s pickup truck with a business name painted on the side. Seven lawns were damaged by the zigzagging truck early one morning.

ON TELEVISION

WORLD SERIES GAME GAME 6 (8p ET, FOX) — The series moves back to LA as the Astros and Dodgers play game 6. The Astros lead the series 3-2.

NCIS (8p ET, CBS) — New. McGee spends hours on a murder victim’s ham radio trying to find a key witness.

THE VOICE (8p ET, NBC) — This new episode features the best moments and never-before-seen footage from the season so far. Plus, Kelly Clarkson, joins the coaches for the first ever Voice Halloween Confessional.

THE MIDDLE (8p ET, ABC) — New. Mike asks Sue to put together a romantic evening for his and Frankie’s 25th wedding anniversary.

THE FLASH (8p ET, CW) — New. Barry runs into Ralph Dibny, his former nemesis.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS (8p ET, PBS) — Scarlett Johansson and Paul Rudd learn about their families in this new episode. John Turturro is also featured.

FRESH OFF THE BOAT (8:30p ET, ABC) — New. The family heads to Houston when Jessica’s aunt passes away, and the boys see Jessica’s father for the first time.

BULL (9p ET, CBS) — New. Bull helps his high school sweetheart (Ali Marsh, In Plain Sight) sue a factory that she believes is making people sick by contaminating the water.

THIS IS US (9p ET, NBC) — New. Trick-or-treating with the 10-year-olds goes wrong for Jack and Rebecca.

BLACKISH (9p ET, ABC) — New. An incident at school threatens Junior’s future.

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (9p CW) — New. The Legends race back to 1988 to save Ray Palmer.

SEASON PREMIERE: MAJOR CRIMES (9p ET, TNT) — The 6th and final season begins.

THE MAYOR (9:30p ET, ABC) — New. Public transportation comes to a halt due to the bus drivers’ union strike.

NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (10p ET, CBS) — New. Lasalle’s father (guest star Michael Pniewski, Madam Secretary) arrives in town to discuss the family business.

LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS (10p ET, NBC) — New. The jury hears the brothers testify in court for the first time.

KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD (10p ET, ABC) — New. Kevin looks for a different way to help a single mom with her son’s medical bills.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT (10p ET, FX) — New.

DROP THE MIC (10:30p ET, TBS) — Celebs battling in this new episode are James Van Der Beek, Randall Park (Fresh off the Boat), NFL star Rob Gronkowski and Gina Rodriguez.

JUDAH FRIEDLANDER: AMERICA IS THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE UNITED STATES (Netflix) — This new stand-up comedy special features the former 30 Rock costar.

ENTERTAINMENT

NEW ON DVD _ Released October 31.

• The Dark Tower
• Kidnap
• Humans – Season 2
• Orphan Black – The Complete Series
• Sherlock – The Complete Series

NETFLIX CANCELS HOUSE OF CARDS _ The day after Kevin Spacey apologized following an accusation that he made a sexual advance on a 14-year-old boy in the 1980s, Netflix announced that the next season of his show House of Cards would be its last. Netflix and Media Rights Capital, the studio behind the show, said in a statement Monday they were “deeply troubled by … news concerning Kevin Spacey. Executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”

… A Netflix spokeswoman said the decision to make the sixth season the show’s last had been made months ago. Those episodes are scheduled to be released in 2018.

… Star Trek alums Zachary Quinto and George Takei have joined the ranks of LGBT activists condemning Kevin Spacey’s decision to come out as gay at the same time he apologized to Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp. Spacey was criticized Sunday night by many — including columnist Dan Savage, actor Billy Eichner, and journalist Frank Rich — for linking two things that have nothing to do with each other.

… Quinto tweeted Monday: “It is deeply sad and troubling that this is how Kevin Spacey has chosen to come out. Not by standing up as a point of pride — in the light of all his many awards and accomplishments — thus inspiring tens of thousands of struggling LGBTQ kids around the world. But as a calculated manipulation to deflect attention from the very serious accusation that he attempted to molest one.”

… Takei wrote: “The timing of this announcement has raised some eyebrows, to be sure. … Men who improperly harass or assault do not do so because they are gay or straight — that is a deflection. They do so because they have the power, and they chose to abuse it.”

HARVEY WEINSTEIN BANNED FOR LIFE FROM PRODUCERS GUILD _ Harvey Weinstein got the death penalty from the Producers Guild of America. The PGA announced Monday: “In light of Mr. Weinstein’s widely reported behavior … the Producers Guild’s National Board has voted unanimously to enact a lifetime ban.” Weinstein plans to continue making movies, but he won’t have the guild’s backing if he’s successful in doing so.

LIAM PAYNE AND GIRLFRIEND HAUNTED BY GHOSTS _ One Direction’s Liam Payne was living with his girlfriend, Cheryl, in L.A. last year while she was pregnant with their son Bear, when they were haunted by a ghost. Payne said that it made Cheryl too scared to sleep in their bed, and they began to feel a presence haunting the house, with lights flickering on and off in the middle of the night. The couple apparently ended up sleeping in their theater room.

JAY-Z CANCELS SHOWS DUE TO POOR TICKET SALES _ Jay-Z was to perform in Fresno on November 1, but the concert was abruptly canceled Friday evening without explanation. Based on tickets available online earlier this week, the concert seemed to have slow sales. According to Stubhub.com, some tickets were selling for just $6.

COREY HAIM’S MOTHER CALLS COREY FELDMAN A SCAM ARTIST _ The mother of late actor Corey Haim slammed her son’s friend and co-star, actor Corey Feldman, who recently announced a $10 million fundraising campaign for a documentary meant to expose Hollywood pedophilia. Feldman posted a YouTube video about the project, and already has brought in more than $140,000 from over 3,000 backers. But Judy Haim believes Feldman is a scam artist. She said, “He’s been talking about revealing the names of his and other abusers for seven years, since my son died. Now he wants $10 million to do it? Come on. It’s a long con. He’s a scam artist. If he was serious about this, he’d share the information he has with the police.”

74-YEAR OLD MICK JAGGER SEEN WITH 22-YEAR OLD PRODUCER _ According to The Sun newspaper, rock legend Mick Jagger and film producer Noor Alfallah have been dating frequently in Paris. The 74-year-old Rolling Stone star is believed to had hooked up with the 22-year-old socialite two weeks ago in Paris — and she was also in the crowd at the Rolling Stones show at Paris’ U Arena. The pair met through a mutual friend. Last year Jagger became a father for the eighth time when son Deveraux was born. The mother is 31 year old ballerina Melanie Hamrick.

“FROZEN” ACTRESS KRISTIN BELL DRESSES AS “ELSA” FOR DAUGHTER _ Kristen Bell posted a photo of herself dressed as ‘Frozen’ star ‘Elsa’ with the caption, “When your daughter demands you BOTH be ELSA for Halloween … you GRIN AND FORKING BEAR IT. #halloween”. Bell voiced Elsa’s sister Anna in the hit Disney movie, but made her daughter happy by dressing as ‘Elsa’.

TAYLOR SWIFT TO PERFORM ON ‘SNL’ _ Taylor Swift will perform on the Saturday Night Live stage on November 11. She will be the musical guest while Tiffany Haddish will host the show. Swift’s ‘Reputation’ album will be released the same day, just before her performance on the show.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA TO PAY TRIBUTE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON AT AMAs _ Christina Aguilera will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the movie and the soundtrack for ‘The Bodyguard’ by singing Whitney Houston’s big hits from the album at the American Music Awards November 19 on ABC.

SIMON COWELL REVEALS REAL REASON BEHIND HIS FALL _ Simon Cowell has revealed the reason he tumbled down stairs at his London home on Friday. Doctors believe low blood pressure was the cause of the accident.

STRANGER THINGS STAR APOLOGIZES FOR ALLEGED DRUG POSSESSION _ Charlie Heaton is apologizing for his absence at the Stranger Things 2 premiere. The British actor, who portrays Jonathan Byers, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport for alleged cocaine possession. According to law enforcement, Heaton was sent back to the United Kingdom but not arrested.

… He shared in a statement: “My planned travel to the U.S. last week was affected by an issue at U.S. immigration, and I am working to rectify it as soon as possible. I do want to clarify that I was not arrested or charged with a crime, and cooperated fully with the U.S. officials at LAX. I’m sorry to all the fans and my Stranger Things family for missing the premiere.”

FIXER UPPER STARS HELPING HARVEY VICTIM REBUILD HER HOME _ An 81-year-old woman in Houston was moved to tears as dozens of volunteers arrived to help rebuild her home damaged during Hurricane Harvey. But among the 60 volunteers were two of reality television’s biggest stars, Chip and Joanna Gaines, best known from their hit TV show Fixer Upper. The Waco couple came to help lift Doris Davis’ spirits and help restore her home that was destroyed by the flood.

WE ARE GETTING EVEN MORE GREY’S ANATOMY THIS SEASON _ Good news for Grey’s Anatomy fans: ABC has ordered additional episodes for the 2017-18 season, meaning you’re going to get a grand total of 24 this season.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• PHONER: Things you never thought you would have say to your kids. → 2 real callers

• ALIENS: Arizona man selling ranch because of aliens – local TV report. → October 30 Wacky-But-True

• DROPS: Lots of Halloween clips.

• MUSIC BED: Halloween 01

• MUSIC BED: Halloween 02

MORE IN THE ‘PROSHARE’ FACEBOOK GROUP

BITS & BREAKS

IF YOUR CHILD DREW YOUR TATTOO, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Kids love to doodle, draw, sketch and color. Often, depending on their stage in life, they choose to draw the same types of things, people or animals.

In a viral video, some brave parents agree to get permanently tattooed with a drawing from their young kids’ imaginations.

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: If you were putting your child’s favorite drawing on your body what would it be?

WHAT IS ONE ITEM ALMOST EVERYONE HAS BUT NEVER USES?

What’s an item almost everyone has but never uses? This was asked on reddit. Can you add anything to the list?

• The extra buttons that come with a dress shirt.

• That battery at the back of a drawer we aren’t sure is dead or not so you keep it there discovering it every four months or so.

• Those four stray birthday cake candles that constantly roll around in the “everything else” drawer in the kitchen. Those candles that don’t match in color or length, but all maintain the amazing ability to disappear the moment you need one.

• Exercise equipment of some sort.

• A charger for an old device.

• Your high school ring.

• Blinkers. I’m talking to you, (nearby local community).

SUPERSTITIONS THAT REFUSE TO DIE

A new study (by PsychTests) indicates that many people still believe in paranormal phenomena and the potentially adverse effects of superstitions.

Karma
73% of women and 51% of men believe what goes around comes around.

Ghosts
72% of women and 52% of men believe that death is not the end of existence.

Fate and Soul mates
70% of women and 45% of men believe that if two people are meant to be together, no force on Earth — or beyond — can keep them apart. Tying into this is the belief that people do not simply show up in our lives at random: 77% of women and 51% of men believe that we are destined to cross paths with certain people, whether it’s through law of attraction or fate.

Prophecies and Premonitions
64% of women and 45% of men believe that future events can be predicted in advance.

Telepathy and Mind reading
51% of women and 38% of men believe that our thoughts are not private, and that some people are born with the ability to send and receive messages telepathically.

Witches
49% of women and 33% of men still believe that real witches with actual powers exist.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: A human uses 200 muscles to do this — and we do this a lot every day. (Take a single step)

HALLOWEEN 9 IN 30

There are 9 letters in the word Halloween. In 30 seconds, your job is to give me a different word that begins with each of the letters in Halloween. There are two Ls and two Es and the words you give for those have to different.

ONE OF US IS LYING

• A typical piece of paper is 500,000 atoms thick.

• eBay has more than 25 Betamax videocassette players for sale.

• In the early stages of developing the sitcom Big Bang Theory it was called The Sci Guys. (LIE)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Watch candy corn perfectly spiral and fall like dominoes.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

McPizza is the scariest thing you’ll see on Halloween.

source: unknown

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 31, 2017

• 1970: LORETTA LYNN’s Coal Miner’s Daughter charted.

• 1982: ALABAMA made its first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.

• 1998: SHANIA TWAIN’s Honey, I’m Home became her seventh number one country hit.

• 2005: CARRIE UNDERWOOD’s Jesus Take The Wheel became the first song by a debut artist to enter the country charts inside the Top 40, coming onto the chart at #39. It would go on to become a multi-week number one.

• 2006: GARTH BROOKS was named Walmart’s best selling artist of all time with over 20 million albums sold.

• 2007: TAYLOR SWIFT went trick-or-treating in Hendersonville, Tennessee, disguised as Star Wars character Chewbacca.

• 2008: MINDY McCREADY was released from a (Williamson County) Tennessee jail after serving 30 days of a 90-day sentence for a probation violation.

• 2010: TRACE ADKINS performed for U.S. soldiers in Basra, Iraq.

• 2015: Days after SHANIA TWAIN concluded her final concert tour, her bus sold for $280,000 at the Toronto Classic Car Auction.

DARRYL WORLEY is 53.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• OLD DOMINION: Brad and Trevor disagree on their sound.

• THOMAS RHETT on binge watching shows.

• A THOUSAND HORSES on overcoming obstacles.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

BLAKE SHELTON is hitting the road in 2018 for the Country Music Freaks Tour with TRACE ADKINS, BRETT ELDREDGE and CARLY PEARCE. Shows begin February 15 in Tulsa. Blake calls this tour his “greatest tour yet”.

BRAD PAISLEY and CARRIE UNDERWOOD will address the mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas on October 1 at next week’s CMA Awards. Brad says, “We’re not going to ignore it, but we’re not going to also dwell on that. We have to make sure we honor those we’ve lost, but we also [have to] celebrate this music, which lives on, and do a good job having the heart we need to have on that night.”

Ticket pre-sales for KENNY CHESNEY’s Trip Around The Sun Tour have helped him surpass 1 million fans played for at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The 2018 installment of the Boston area stop will include special guests DIERKS BENTLEY and BROTHERS OSBORNE.

LUKE BRYAN crashed the wedding party of two of his biggest fans. Luke was taping an American Idol episode nearby in Savannah, Georgia, when he heard fans McKenna Neidlinger Lipski and Austin Lipski had been hitched nearby. Luke and his Idol crew listened outside the doors of the reception until they heard his song Crash My Party begin. When Luke stepped through the door to surprise the bride and groom, he was met with wild whoops and cheers. • IMAGE

KELSEA BALLERINI and KELLY CLARKSON will appear as part of the Nickelodeon Halo Awards, airing November 26 across the Nick networks.

THOMAS RHETT’s Life Changes 2018 Tour is set to begin April 5 and run through mid-May, with a second leg beginning September 13 and running through late October. Supporting acts will be BRETT YOUNG (all dates) and on the spring leg for select shows, RUSSELL DICKERSON (Yours), JILLIAN JACQUELINE and CARLY PEARCE. For the fall leg, MIDLAND will join TR and Brett.

KELSEA BALLERINI’s The Unapologetically Tour is set to get underway February 8 in Birmingham. WALKER HAYES will open the shows.

TIM MCGRAW and FAITH HILL will receive the Billboard Legends Of Live Award during the November 14-15 conference and touring awards in Los Angeles. The honor recognizes the couple for their steadfast commitment to touring and bringing high quality of music to fans.

JASON ALDEAN, LUKE BRYAN and COLE SWINDELL will headline Country Thunder Arizona 2018, April 5-8 in Florence, Arizona. Others performing at the event will include TRACY LAWRENCE, BIG & RICH, LINDSAY ELL and NEAL MCCOY.

MAREN MORRIS is planning a spring wedding to fiancée RYAN HURD and says the event will be laid back with margaritas and Motown music.

RANDY TRAVIS has multiple projects on the horizon that include an autobiography and a documentary.

In 2018, THE BELLAMY BROTHERS will release their autobiography, Let Your Love Flow: The Life And Times Of The Bellamy Brothers.

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 1, 2017

This is day 305 of 2017. There are 60 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers is 55

• Toni Collette (The United States of Tara, Little Miss Sunshine) is 45

• Jenny McCarthy is 45

• Matt Jones (Breaking Bad) is 36

• Natalia Tena (Game of Thrones) is 33

• Penn Badgely (Gossip Girl) is 31

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1512: The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, was exhibited to the public for the first time.

• 1800: U.S. President John Adams became the first President of the United States to live in the Executive Mansion, later renamed the White House.

• 1870: In the United States, the Weather Bureau — later renamed the National Weather Service — made its first official meteorological forecast.

• 1913: The forward pass gained national prominence when used in Notre Dame’s startling upset of Army 35-13. Just a few years before, the forward pass had been authorized by a rules committee of what would become the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

• 1938: Seabiscuit defeated War Admiral in an upset victory during a match race deemed “the match of the century” in horse racing.

• 1960: While campaigning for President of the United States, John F. Kennedy announced his idea of the Peace Corps.

• 1990: McDonald’s announced it would replace styrofoam burger boxes with heavyweight paper containers.

• 2005: A 67-year-old Wisconsin man who said he didn’t even like watching movies was sued by the film industry for copyright infringement after a 12-year-old grandson downloaded four movies on their home computer. The Motion Picture Association of America filed a federal lawsuit against Fred Lawrence (of Racine) seeking as much as $600,000 in damages for downloading four movies: The Incredibles, I Robot, The Grudge, and The Forgotten.

• 2012: Scientists detected evidence of light from the universe’s first stars, predicted to have formed 500 million years after the big bang.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• November is Movember, American Diabetes Awareness Month, Aviation Month, National Adoption Month, National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, National Georgia Pecan Month, National Novel Writing Month, Vegan Month, National Fun with Fondue Month, National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month, National Pepper Month, National Stuffing Month, National Raisin Bread Month

• All Saints’ Day

• Bison Day

• International Stress Awareness Day

• Calzone Day

• Family Caregiver Day

• Go Cook For Your Pets Day

• Stress Awareness Day

• World Vegan Day

UPCOMING

INTERPREP ★ OCTOBER 26, 2017

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 26, 2017

This is day 299 of 2017. There are 66 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Jaclyn Smith (Charlie’s Angels) is 72

• Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is 71

• Hillary Clinton is 70

• Rita Wilson is 61

• Dylan McDermott (The Practice) is 56

• Cary Elwes is 55

• Jeff Probst is 55

• Tom Cavanagh (The Flash, ‘Ed) is 49

• Seth McFarlane (Family Guy) is 44

• Jon Heder (Blades of Glory, Napoleon Dynamite) is 40

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1881: The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place at Tombstone, Arizona.

• 1951: Boxer Joe Louis came out of retirement to fight Rocky Marciano. However, Marciano would win the fight in eight rounds.

• 1965: The Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs).

• 1984: In Loma Linda, California, a baboon’s heart was transplanted into “Baby Fae,” a newborn with a severe heart defect. Baby Fae lived 21 days with her experimental animal heart.

• 1984: John D. McCollum shot and killed himself after spending a day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records; a lawsuit was later filed by his parents over the song “Suicide Solution” but the case was eventually thrown out.

• 1990: Wayne Gretzky became the first National Hockey League player to reach 2,000 points.

• 1996: Prosecutors cleared Atlanta guard Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic Park bombing.

• 1997: St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin, issued an SOS after five babies were born and they ran out of green and gold Green Bay Packer caps and booties. Volunteer knitters rushed in to keep newborns warm in Packer colors, including even Packer blankets and quilts.

• 2006; A pole-dancing kit was removed from the toys and games section of a British store’s web site after getting complaints from parents who didn’t want there kids to learn how to “Unleash the sex kitten inside.”

• 2006: In Maryland, Don Fitzhugh was fishing with his wife and three others on the Chesapeake when they came upon a buck swimming near an island. They new the deer had no business being out there, and they say it looked disoriented. Only the deer’s head was above water and his nose was shaking from the cold. So someone grabbed a fishing net to hold one antler and another guy grabbed another. The two held on while the boat’s captain drove slowly toward shore. Half an hour later, they released the deer near shore.

• 2010: Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest water control and utilization project, announced its water levels had reached full capacity.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Howl at The Moon Night

• National Day of The Deployed

• Pumpkin Day

UPCOMING

• October 26: Full release of Kennedy assassination papers
• October 27: Pre-order the iPhone X
• October 27: Stranger Things Season 2
• October 28: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)
• November 1: Health insurance enrollment opens
• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends
• November 5: New York City Marathon
• November 7: Election Day
• November 8: CMA Awards
• November 10: College basketball starts
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)
• November 24: Black Friday
• November 25: Small Business Saturday
• November 27: Cyber Monday
• November 28: Grammy nominations announced
• November 28: Giving Tuesday
• December 3: Supermoon
• December 3: Selection Sunday (college football)
• December 6: Time’s Person of the Year
• December 8: The Crown Season 2
• December 9: Heisman Trophy awarded
• December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
• December 11: Golden Globes nominations
• December 12: Hanukkah
• December 15: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• December 21: First day of winter
• December 24: Christmas Eve
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 8: College football championship (Alabama won in 2017)
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 4: Super Bowl 52

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

1,000: Hours of video collected each day by body cams worn by police in Washington, DC.

NEWS ATTACK!

Since 1988 Queen Elizabeth’s stable of racehorses have taken home nearly $9 million in prize money. The horses have won 451 races. [But the queen is looking for a new talented young jockey because, as she announced, due to age, this is the last year that she will personally ride the horses.]

Fees are likely to double at the country’s most popular national parks. [Well, times are very expensive and Smokey the Bears has several cubs in college.]

The new U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa was counseled about not being culturally sensitive and making insulting remarks at an event he attended on Samoa. [He asked his hosts, “What’s for dinner? I hope it’s not me.”]

The prince who’s heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia said that he’s moving the country toward a more moderate policy that welcomes cultures from the outside world. [That explains the prince new women’s roller derby league.]

Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that a London casino doesn’t have to pay a gambler the $10 million he won because he cheated. [Picky, picky, picky.]

New Zealand’s National Party has been ordered to pay $415,000 plus interest for ripping off an Eminem song for a political commercial. [After the judge made his ruling he dropped the mike.]

Police were called to a wedding reception in Florida after a woman crashed the event and started a fight that included the bridesmaids. [If this sort of thing happened all the time, women wouldn’t have such a hard time getting men to go to weddings.]

A Utah burglary suspect on the run from police had to call 911 for help after he hid himself in a vacant church’s old boiler room and couldn’t open the door to get out. [In other words, he called the police to get him out of a locked room so that they could transport him to another locked room.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

WOMAN FINDS HERSELF ONLY PASSENGER ON FLIGHT TO GREECE _ Karon Grieve had not just the seat next to her empty on her trip from Glasgow to the Greek island of Crete — and not even just both seats next to her. Every other seat on the plane was empty, meaning there were 188 empty seats. When Grieve checked in for the flight and asked how many people were scheduled to be on board, a staffer at the desk told her there would be just three. But the other two would-be passengers never showed up, leaving Grieve with what she calls a “surreal” experience on her $61 flight.

… Grieve says the plane’s captain “came and sat beside me while the first officer did all the flight checks” and then said “Hi there, Karon” from the cockpit every time she made an announcement. When the flight landed, Grieve’s baggage was handed to her rather than sent to the baggage carousel.

MOM SAYS STOP ASKING PEOPLE WHEN THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE KIDS _ Adele Barbaro is the mom behind the blog Real Mumma. She is known for her raw and honest views when it comes to the subject of parenthood, and one of her most recent posts certainly backs that up. In the post Adele appears in a selfie holding up a sign that simply reads “Stop asking couples when they are having kids!” Adele and her husband have two kids now, but recalls the things people would say when they were still childless. She also admits to being occasionally nasty when the question was asked. One day she responded by saying, “It’s not that [bleeping] easy, you know.”

… Adele also goes off of the people who offer words of “comfort” that she hadn’t asked for, like “You’re not going to be young forever.”

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GAME HAS BEEN GOING FOR 35 YEARS _ A guy in London, Ontario, says he’s been playing the same game of Dungeons & Dragons since he was 14 — that was 35 years ago. Based out of Robert Wardhaugh’s basement, people from all around the country gather each week to join in the decades-long campaign. And with over 20,000 figurines and dozens of terrains, Wardhaugh keeps the game fresh and exciting, adding to the everlasting adventure. • VIDEO

NEW HOTEL IS COMING TO DISNEYLAND RESORT _ It has been almost two decades since the Disneyland Resort has had a brand new Four Diamond hotel open on their property, but that is all about to change. It was announced on Wednesday afternoon that a 700-room hotel is going to open on the west end of the Downtown Disney District in 2021, and it is set to transform that entire area and open a new gateway into the resort. On Wednesday, the Disney Parks Blog announced the big news that a new resort would be joining the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier, and Grand Californian.

SWEETS ON HALLOWEEN DO NOT AFFECT A CHILD’S LONG-TERM HEALTH _ Good news, kids: Eating candy instead of raisins on Halloween does not make a difference to a child’s long-term health. A University of Auckland health education lecturer (Darren Powell) says while eating and food choice discussions have become a “minefield,” “Children have already got enough worries and concerns” and parents should, for Halloween, let them be kids and have some candy. He says, “It doesn’t make a difference to a child’s long-term health to give sweets on Halloween…”

A GEORGE H.W. BUSH SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATION _ Earlier this week, actress Heather Lind said in a now-deleted Instagram post that former president George H.W. Bush had sexually assaulted her: “He touched me from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side. He told me a dirty joke. And then, all the while being photographed, touched me again.” That is not the end of things. Jordana Grolnick, a New York actress, has a story to tell that doesn’t sound very different at all.

… In a statement, a Bush spokesperson said Wednesday: “At age 93, President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures. To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely.”

NPS WANTS TO CHARGE MORE FOR VISITS TO PARKS _ Most national parks are free to enjoy, but some of the most popular destinations overseen by the National Park Service charge entrance fees of around $25 to $30 for a full vehicle. On Wednesday the Trump administration announced a proposal to more than double some of those fees for visitors during peak seasons. The White House contends that these increased fees are necessary to pay for maintenance that the park system has deferred for too long.

… Raising fees for 17 of the most-visited parks would mean that the NPS would collect an additional estimated $70 million per year, with at least 80% of that sum required to be spent on the park where it is collected. Less than one-third of all national parks charge admission fees, and annual passes would still be available individual parks and for all federal lands for just a bit more than it would cost to enter a park with one passenger vehicle.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE JFK ASSASSINATION FILES _ Today (Thursday) the National Archives are expected to release thousands of files containing tens or hundreds of thousands of unredacted documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Donald Trump, who has the power to postpone the release of any of the documents for military, intelligence, law enforcement, or diplomatic reasons, has said that he will allow them to be released on schedule. Here’s what you need to know.

… The Files Are Required To Be Released By A 1992 Law: After Oliver Stone released his conspiracy-theory-inspired film “JFK” in 1991, Congress passed a law requiring the National Archives to release all government documents related to the Kennedy assassination by October 26, 2017. Over the years, the National Archives has released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted. But one final batch remains, and only the president has the authority to extend the papers’ secrecy past the deadline.

… Trump Is Reportedly Under Pressure From The CIA To Block Part Of The Release: A congressional official who has been closely monitoring the issue, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump had been under pressure from the CIA to block the release of some of the assassination documents on national security grounds, possibly to protect CIA tradecraft and the identity of agency informants who might still be alive.

… Trump Tweeted — With A Caveat — That He Will Release The Files: On Sunday, Trump announced on Twitter that he will not block the release of the files “subject to the receipt of further information.”

… The Files Are Not Expected To Contain Any Bombshells: JFK assassination experts say that the files probably don’t contain any information that will challenge the consensus conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing JFK. However, they might contain information about a trip to Mexico that Oswald took not long before the assassination. Many [of the files] are known to involve a mysterious chapter in the history of the assassination — a six-day trip that JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald paid to Mexico City several weeks before the president’s murder, in which Oswald met with Cuban and Soviet spies and came under intensive surveillance by the CIA’s Mexico City station. Previously released FBI documents suggest that Oswald spoke openly in Mexico about his intention to kill Kennedy.

SEARS BRINGS BACK HOLIDAY “WISH BOOK” _ Sears might be selling off brands, taking loans and ending relationships with long-standing partners, but that doesn’t mean it’s giving up just yet. In an apparent effort to strike a nostalgic chord with customers who remember flipping through the Sears catalog and flagging the things they wanted as gifts, the struggling department store chain is resurrecting its once-popular holiday Wish Book.

… The Wish Book — which launched in 1933 and was scrapped in 2011 — makes its return in both physical and digital form with 120 pages of what Sears deems “top quality” products. The company says that it decided to bring back the catalog because customers apparently wanted it.

… The online version of the book allows customers to hover over photos to see product details, create wish lists, and access continually updated prices. You know, like Amazon.com. While the online catalog is already available, Sears says that its “best members” will receive a limited edition printed 2017 Wish Book.

COPS CALLED AFTER SHOPPER ACCIDENTALLY SWIPES BABY _ An absent-minded shopper at a Maine grocery store took somebody else’s cart with a sleeping baby inside, causing a lockdown and a police investigation. Portland police say the shopper was mortified when he realized his mistake but didn’t bother to alert anyone. Instead, the shopper left the cart in another part of the store and retrieved his own cart. Police say store video backs up his claim. Police determined the conduct didn’t warrant criminal charges. The baby was restrained in a car seat and slept through the entire scare.

SUPPORT FOR MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION REACHES ALL-TIME HIGH _ A new Gallup poll finds the highest level of public support for marijuana legalization since the organization first posed the question almost five decades ago. In the survey released Wednesday, 64 percent of Americans favor making marijuana legal ― up four percentage points from last year and 52 points from 1969, when Gallup began taking the public pulse on the issue.

… In another first for the poll, a majority of Republicans ― 51 percent ― back legalizing marijuana, an increase of nine percentage points from the 2016 survey. Majorities of Democrats and independents have supported legalization since 2008 and 2010, respectively.

WOMAN WHO MARRIED HERSELF HAD AN ‘AFFAIR’ _ ( AUDIO) A woman in the UK who married herself in 2015 says she’s since cheated on herself. Sophie Tanner says marrying yourself doesn’t necessarily exclude someone from being intimate with another person again, but instead is just a means of rejecting bad relationships. Tanner says, “Self-marriage is about self-love. It’s saying that self-compassion and self-care is as important as romantic relationships. It doesn’t mean you’re rejecting all other meaningful relationships in your life and becoming a nun forever more. It means you’re rejecting bad relationships. If only there was more self-love in the world, we wouldn’t need ceremonies like this.”

COP CELEBRATES CHILD’S BIRTHDAY AFTER CHILD IS LEFT AT SCHOOL _ A Green Bay, Wisconsin, police officer brought a little light to a boy in a tough situation. Officer Darryl Robinson was called to a local elementary school. He was there to help a child who was not picked up at the end of the day. The child’s parents were both in jail and the school had no other contacts for the child. It was also the child’s birthday. So, as police tracked down someone to care for the child, Officer Robinson treated him to McDonald’s and gave him a ride in his cruiser. • LINK

YOUNG FAN SENDS £5 TO SOCCER PLAYER WHO SCORED GOAL _ What do you do when you find a fiver but your dad has always told you to “not keep what is not ours”? You send it to your favorite soccer player instead. That’s what a young soccer fan in the UK did when he made the discovery at the soccer stadium. The 9-year-old sent the £5 note as a reward for playing well and scoring.

MISSISSIPPI TO RESUME TEACHING TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD _ A Mississippi school district will resume teaching To Kill A Mockingbird after the book was pulled from a junior high reading list. Biloxi School District administrators removed the novel from the 8th-grade curriculum earlier this month after the district received complaints that some of the book’s language “makes people uncomfortable.” School officials say they’ll begin teaching it again in class starting Monday. Students have to ask to participate and return a permission slip signed by a parent.

… The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee deals with racial inequality in a small Alabama town.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: MOST-GOOGLED AILMENTS REVEAL WHY AMERICA’S CALLING IN SICK _ A new study showing which US cities search for which health conditions most will make you feel sorry for Columbus, Ohio. Researchers (at Sunbelt Staffing, a health care recruitment company) recently examined data revealing which health conditions were most-searched on Google by computer users in different US cities and states.

… Americans search for medical conditions like depression, eczema and anxiety up to 10 times a minute on Google.

… Depression leads the pack, with 450,000 average monthly searches. And the same city tops the list for searches on depression and its frequent companion, stress: Columbus, Ohio.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN TAPES FISH TO ATM TO GET A LITTLE HELP FIXING IT _ There’s no arguing that our culture is one of convenience. From cars to smartphones, thousands of produced are constantly being refined to make them easier to use. And when it comes to our money, we want zero glitches. One Australian was so frustrated with his ATM he taped a real fish to the machine. He shared a photo on Facebook with the caption: “Hey COMMONWEATH bank, how about you SERVICE your [freaking] ATMs … I have more fish and tape … FIX THEM NOW.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NAKED 91-YEAR-OLD CONFRONTS INTRUDER _ ( AUDIO) A Massachusetts couple said their dog helped stop an intruder who had broken into their house. 91-year-old Patricia Mulkeen said she knew something was wrong when Pepper the dog woke her up by barking. Mulkeen said she grabbed a flashlight to look around, thinking Pepper may have seen a raccoon outside. As Mulkeen walked into the dining room, she found a man standing there.

… Mulkeen’s husband said the intruder was probably surprised to see his wife: “My wife at 91 years old gets out of bed and she’s stark naked. And here’s this young guy in his 20’s looking at a naked 91-year-old woman. That’d be enough to make him faint; it’s a shock.” The intruder said, “Sorry, ma’am” to Mulkeen and immediately left her house. Her husband then called police and officers arrested the intruder nearby.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JAPAN POLICE UNMASK 74-YEAR-OLD ‘NINJA’ BURGLAR _ Japanese police have finally nabbed a nimble “ninja” thief who dressed in black and scrambled over walls to commit scores of break-ins over an eight-year career. They were astonished to find the ninja burglar is 74 years old. The thief made a mistake when part of his disguise slipped and his identity was revealed on camera.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: COUPLE BACKS OFF PLAN TO CALL BABY LUCIFER _ A baby in Germany won’t be named Lucifer. A registrar in the city of Kassel suspected the name could endanger the child’s well-being. The parents were persuaded to change their plan during a closed-door hearing at the local court and decided to call their son Lucian instead. That saved the court from having to decide whether Lucifer was acceptable.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN HIDING FROM COPS CALLS FOR HELP _ A Utah man who was hiding from police and fled arrest had to call 911 to be rescued after getting stuck in his hiding spot. Salt Lake City police say the 46-year-old called 911 more than six hours after he accidentally locked himself in a church’s boiler room.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUY GETS DRUNK AT WALMART _ A Wisconsin man told police he couldn’t help himself when he took seven bottles of a spiked lemonade drink from the shelf at a Walmart and drank them in the liquor aisle. He’d been shopping with his wife, who was not aware of what he was doing. Security video caught the man drinking the 12-ounce bottles over a 15-minute period. He placed the empty bottles back on the shelf.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TWO STRIKES AND THEY WERE OUT _ In Sweden two guys, armed with a handgun and a crowbar, attempted to rob a bank. Unfortunately, they failed to read the sign on the front door stating that this was a “cashless” bank and there was no cash on the premises. Undaunted, they left and headed to a nearby grocery store but were foiled by a quick thinking employee who saw them coming and locked the doors before they could get inside. The same employee also got the license plate number of their car as they attempted to escape.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN BUSTED FOR TAKING JELLY BEANS _ A Florida man was charged with petty theft after being caught on a surveillance camera taking jelly beans out of a bin and eating them before he got to the cash register. A deputy, who was working an off-duty detail, confronted the suspect after he had paid for the rest of his groceries and asked him if the candy was good. “Yes,” the suspect replied. The deputy told a manager that the suspect had taken about 10 of the candies. The man denied taking more than two. He added that he’d been shopping at the store for 30 years and that he was just trying the candy to see if he wanted to buy it.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WET POT _ Police in Chattanooga, Tennessee, arrested a man who tried to dry out his marijuana in the microwave of a convenience store. The man stopped at the convenience store, completely ignored the police car parked outside, put a big bag of pot in the oven and hit ‘Start’.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BAD BURGLAR CAUGHT BY CLOSET _ In Los Angeles a burglar broke into a duplex. Unfortunately, things went bad as soon as he got inside. First, the people who lived there were home at the time. He tried to run out, but picked the wrong door and ended up in a closet. When he finally made his way downstairs and found the front door to make his exit, the police were there, responding to the 911 call from the owners.

ON TELEVISION

NFL THURSDAY NIGHT KICKOFF (8p ET, CBS) — James Brown hosts this pre-game show with analysts Deion Sanders and Bill Cowher.

GREY’S ANATOMY (8p ET, ABC) — New. Events leading up to Megan’s kidnapping are revealed in a flashback.

SUPERSTORE (8p ET, NBC) — New. A dead body is discovered in the store on Halloween, causing panic.

GOTHAM (8p ET, FOX) — New. Gordon and Bullock hunt a serial killer who has been dressing victims with pig heads.

SUPERNATURAL (8p ET, CW) — New. Sam helps Jack learn how to control his powers.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8:25p ET, CBS) — The Miami Dolphins are in Baltimore to take on the Ravens.

THE GOOD PLACE (8:30p ET, NBC) — New. The neighborhood experiences a small glitch.

SCANDAL (9p ET, ABC) — New. Mellie prepares for the upcoming Nuclear Summit.

WILL & GRACE (9p ET, NBC) — New. Grace (Debra Messing) gets a job decorating a string of boutique hotels for an obnoxious mogul (guest star Max Greenfield, New Girl).

THE ORVILLE (9p ET, FOX) — New. Ed sends a team to find missing anthropologists on a planet similar to 21st-century Earth.

ARROW (9p ET, CW) — New. A rogue team led by Onyx breaks into Kord Industries and steals something lethal.

PROJECT RUNWAY (9p ET, Lifetime) — New. The designers create looks inspired by women who battled breast cancer.

GREAT NEWS (9:30p ET, NBC) — New. Katie tries to impress her friends by going to a hip Halloween party.

CHICAGO FIRE (10p ET, NBC) — New. Casey and Severide are at odds over how to save a teenager entangled in barbed wire.

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (10p ET, ABC) — New. Bonnie goes to surprising lengths to get answers about Annalise’s big case.

ENTERTAINMENT

MAYWEATHER-MCGREGOR BOXING MATCH SOLD 6.7 MILLION PPVs _ UFC President Dana White was recently in New York to promote Saturday’s UFC 217 pay-per-view. Once White finished speaking about the three title fights at the top of that card, he spent some time talking about the promotion’s biggest star, Conor McGregor. More specifically, he looked back on the financial success of McGregor’s August boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. White said, “We broke the (pay-per-view buy) record. The thing ended up doing 6.7 million pay-per-view buys globally.”

… The number White spoke about is much higher than the number a Showtime executive told USA Today shortly after the fight took place. According to Showtime the event sold in the “mid to high” four million range in the U.S. and Canada. However, White says the 6.7 million number he gives is “globally”.

IT’LL BE A BOY FOR KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN _ Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are going to be parents to a son. The reality star and her NBA beau — who have been dating since September 2016 — will welcome a baby boy together early next year. This will be Kardashian’s first child. Thompson has a 10-month-old son named Prince Oliver from a previous relationship.

IT’LL BE A BOY FOR JESSICA ALBA _ Jessica Alba is having a boy. The actress and Honest Company co-founder announced Wednesday that she and husband Cash Warren will be welcoming their first son. The couple is already parents to daughters Haven Garner, age 6, and Honor Marie, age 9.

HULK HOGAN IS CONSIDERING CUTTING OFF ALL HIS HAIR _ Hulk Hogan has revealed that he is strongly considering cutting off all of his hair. At 64, Hogan is apparently focused on taking care of his beach shop in Tampa instead of keeping up with his character on television.

KIT HARINGTON SAYS GAME OF THRONES PILOT DIDN’T LOOK RIGHT _ Kit Harington’s first go as Jon Snow didn’t quite work out. In a new interview (with the UK’s Guardian) the actor explained that the original pilot that he shot for the HBO series Game of Thrones didn’t quite get the look and feel of Westeros right the first time. Harington says the show’s creators “made a lot of mistakes. It didn’t look right, didn’t feel right, had nothing different about it.”

… Harington’s character, Jon Snow, for instance, wore a wig and was clean-shaven for the part, a vast departure from the more rugged appearance that GoT fans are now familiar with. As it turned out, the original pilot fell flat, and so the show’s creators tried a different approach their second go-round, this time giving the entire series and its characters a grittier look more fitting to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books. To this day, Harington added, not many people have seen the original pilot — not even himself.

ELLEN DEGENERES UNDER FIRE FOR KATY PERRY BREAST-OGLING TWEET _ Did Ellen DeGeneres make a boob of herself on social media Wednesday? The TV host came under fire after wishing singer Katy Perry a happy birthday — by tweeting a photo of herself staring at Perry’s breasts. The tweet came under fire from some critics who seemed to believe that it constituted a double standard.

… Piers Morgan tweeted: “If a man made this joke, Ellen would lead the cries of ‘SEXIST PIG!’” And Michael Rapaport tweeted: “Imagine if Cam Newton or any other Man sent out this tweet & photo. If a DUDE said this the World would stop.”

… Wrote another critic, “Ellen DeGeneres sexually harasses Katy Perry. Wonder how she interviews female employees?”

ACTRESS ACCUSES VAL KILMER OF PHYSICALLY ASSAULTING HER _ Actress Caitlin O’Heaney claims Val Kilmer hit her during an audition for his 1991 film The Doors. O’Heaney detailed the alleged incident to Buzzfeed, saying that she was inspired to come forward by the Harvey Weinstein scandal. She also claims she is breaking a nondisclosure agreement by speaking out. She told the website, “I finally have the confidence to speak about this. It’s too long that I’ve sat on this story.”

… O’Heaney alleged that she and Kilmer were arguing while reading a scene for the Oliver Stone movie, and that he struck her in the face. “When I got to the room and Val Kilmer picked me up and shaked me, throwing me down to the floor, Stone just stood there the whole time laughing.” After the incident, she said, “I went down to my car and I cried for about 20 minutes.” The film’s casting director, Risa Bramon Garcia, reportedly disagrees with O’Heaney’s account of the audition. Bramon Garcia told Buzzfeed that O’Heaney and all other actresses were warned that they would be reading a volatile scene that could result in physical contact.

BAD BOYS SPINOFF SERIES STARRING GABRIELLE UNION _ Add Bad Boys to the list of movies which may see a resurgence on TV as a spinoff series. This one could feature Gabrielle Union’s character from the cop dramedy. Union made her debut in Bad Boys II, the 2003 sequel to the original Will Smith-Martin Lawrence buddy cop action comedy which released in 1995.

… The timing of a new TV series works for Union, who is coming off a four-season run on her own series, Being Mary Jane, which will end in 2018 on BET with a two-hour sendoff movie.

REGAL CINEMAS TO TEST CHARGING MORE FOR BLOCKBUSTERS _ Regal Entertainment Group plans to experiment with its own form of Uber-like “surge pricing”. The company’s CEO said this week the chain “expect[s] to conduct a ticket pricing test in several markets in early 2018”. She outlined a pricing model that charges more for blockbuster movies during peak periods and charging less for duds.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• SHE MARRIED HERSELF: A woman who married herself cheated by dating a guy, but says that’s OK. → October 26 News & Nuggets

• NAKED 91-YEAR-OLD: 91-year-old in Mass was naked when she confronted intruder. → October 26 Wacky-But-True

• DROP: Let the carnage begin.

• DOG BRAINS: In life, there are many questions that have yet to be answered. And then there are universal facts that are backed up by science, which we must accept. One blogger decided to address one of these facts in her own colorful way. The question of the day? Whether or not dogs have brains. The blogger goes on a rant about how she doesn’t believe that dogs have brains — because they cannot talk to us.

INTERPREP PROSHARE

BITS & BREAKS

WEIRD THINGS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GOOGLING

Some of the weird things people have been googling lately, according to the search company:

• Is it healthy to drink your own urine?

• Are there people who are attracted sexually to Pokemon?

• Does your virginity grow back?

• What’s a boyfriend and where can I download one?

• Can Jesus microwave a burrito?

• Why isn’t 11 prounced “onety one”?

WAYS TO CONFUSE TRICK-OR-TREATERS

• Get about 30 people to wait in your living room. When trick-or-treaters come to the door, say, “Come in.” When they do, have everyone yell, “Surprise!”

• Get everyone who comes to the door to come in and see if they can figure out what’s wrong with your dishwasher. Insist that it makes an unnatural “whirring” sound.

• After you give them candy, hand the trick-or-treaters a bill.

• When you answer the door, hold up one candy bar, throw it out into the street, and yell, “Crawl for it!”

• Insist that the trick-or-treaters each do ten push-ups before you give them any candy.

• Hand out menus to the trick-or-treaters and let them order their candy. Keep asking if anyone wants to see the wine list.

• Get a catapult. Sit on your porch and catapult pumpkins at anyone who comes within 50 yards.

• Answer the door dressed as a pilgrim. Stare at the trick-or-treaters for a moment, pretend to be confused, and start flipping through a calendar.

• Instead of candy, give away colored eggs. If anyone protests, explain that the eggs are the only thing you had left over from Easter.

• Answer the door dressed as a dentist and give the trick or-treaters a lecture on tooth decay.

• Answer the door with a mouthful of M&M’s and several half-eaten candy bars in your hands. Act surprised, and close the door. Open it again in a few seconds, and insist that you don’t have any candy.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: When putting on our socks, 90% of us do what? (Put the left sock on first.)

SOLVE THE MYSTERY

Teddy was found dead in his study by Wally. Wally explained his discovery to police: “I was walking by Teddy’s house when I thought I would just pop in for a visit. I noticed his study light was on and I decided to peek in from the outside to see if he was in there. There was frost on the window, so I had to wipe it away to see inside. That is when I saw his body. So I kicked in the front door to confirm my suspicions of foul play. I called the police immediately afterward.” The officer immediately arrested Wally for the murder of Teddy. How did he know Wally was lying?

Answer: Frost forms on the inside of the window, not the outside. Wally could not have wiped it off to discover Teddy’s body.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Redneck floor jack.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

PHONER: Is it OK for parents to drive into other neighborhoods and drop off the kids for trick-or-treating?

source: unknown

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 26, 2017

• 1936: ROY ACUFF conducted his first recording session.

• 1969: WAYLON JENNINGS and JESSI COLTER were married in Phoenix.

• 1988: WAYLON JENNINGS was hospitalized in California following a concert due to chest pains.

• 1992: COLLIN RAYE made his acting debut on the FOX series Street Justice.

• 2000: Capitol Records held a party celebrating GARTH BROOKS’ 100 million albums sold.

• 2002: THE STATLER BROTHERS gave their final concert in Salem, Virginia.

• 2004: MARTINA MCBRIDE sang the National Anthem prior to Game 3 of the World series in St. Louis. The next night, the Boston Red Sox won game four to clinch their first World Series title in 86 years.

• 2005: DOLLY PARTON’s album Those Were The Days became her 25th album to chart on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

• 2006: REBA McENTIRE was celebrated in the first CMT Giants concert at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre. Participants include BROOKS & DUNN, FAITH HILL, TRISHA YEARWOOD, WYNONNA, MARTINA MCBRIDE, BARBARA MANDRELL, DOLLY PARTON, JENNIFER NETTLES and LEANN RIMES.

• 2015: CARRIE UNDERWOOD graced the cover of the new People magazine.

KEITH URBAN is 50.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• BRAD PAISLEY performs the national anthem before Game 2 of the World Series.

• On Tuesday’s The Voice Natalie Stovall faced off against fellow Team Blake member Adam Cunningham while performing LITTLE BIG TOWN’s Boondocks, before Stovall was eliminated.

• MADDIE AND TAE’s Maddie is in to couponing.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

( AUDIO) BRAD PAISLEY was at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles last night (Tuesday) to sing the national anthem prior to Game 2 of the World Series.

GEORGE STRAIT, CHRIS STAPLETON, LITTLE BIG TOWN, KACEY MUSGRAVES and MIDLAND will perform as part of the 2018 Bayou Country Superfest next May in New Orleans.

DOLLY PARTON will appear on the Dr. Oz Show today (Thursday) talking about a variety of topics, including her struggles with kidney stones. The segment will also include footage of Dolly’s recent visit to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

TRACE ADKINS is sporting a new look after cutting his long hair. He posted an Instagram video of himself wandering through Home Depot sporting a ball cap with no long locks coming out.

LADY ANTEBELLUM has composed an original song, Chop To The Top, for the SpongeBob Square Pants Broadway production beginning this fall.

LUKE BRYAN and wife Caroline will be spending their 11th wedding anniversary in New York, because that’s where Luke will be to promote the release of his sixth album, What Makes You Country, which comes out December 8, the same day the two exchanged vows eleven years ago.

REBA McENTIRE’s former Nashville estate has been purchased by a Tennessee businessman. The 18 acres includes a 12,000-plus square foot home with eight car garage, tennis court, pool, movie theater and more. Deron Lichte plans to use the venue for events like wedding receptions, songwriter retreats, family reunions and more.

SHANIA TWAIN wrote all 12 songs on her latest album, Now, by herself for the first time and says when she’s writing, she isolates herself from everyone because she doesn’t want anyone to hear her creative process. On the road, that likely means finding a walk-in closet, but at home her go to place is in the bathroom because it’s the most quiet.

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 27, 2017

This is day 300 of 2017. There are 65 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• John Cleese is 78

• Director Ivan Reitman is 71

• Simon LeBon of Duran Duran is 59

• Marla Maples is 54

• Kelly Osbourne is 33

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1938: Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: nylon.

• 1997: The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 554.26 points, forcing the stock market to shut down for the first time since the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

• 2004: The Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 in Game 4.

• 2004: A theater in Hamburg, Germany, began offering live commercials for anything from soap to beer to kitchen appliances performed by actors before and after performances.

• 2006: On Long Island, New York, Patrick Conaway donned a ski mask and attempted to hold up a gas station. He made the mistake of not trying the mask on before pulling the heist, and in the middle of the crime he got so frustrated at not being able to see that he pulled the mask up to get a better view. Unfortunately, he also gave the clerk a better view. The clerk recognized him as a former employee of the store.

• 2007: Officials put online a 16 billion pixel image of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper”. The high resolution allowed experts to examine details of the 15th century wall painting that they otherwise could not — including traces of drawings Leonardo put down before painting.

• 2014: Walmart said it was sorry for labeling women’s plus-sized Halloween costumes as ‘Fat Girl Costumes’ on its website.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Cranky Co-workers Day

• Frankenstein Friday, recognizing author Mary Shelly, the novel Frankenstein, her characters, Dr. Frankenstein and the monster.

• Bread Sticks Day

• Navy Day

• Black Cat Day

• Potato Day

• American Beer Day

UPCOMING

• October 27: Pre-order the iPhone X
• October 27: Stranger Things Season 2
• October 28: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)
• November 1: Health insurance enrollment opens
• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends
• November 5: New York City Marathon
• November 7: Election Day
• November 8: CMA Awards
• November 10: College basketball starts
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)
• November 24: Black Friday
• November 25: Small Business Saturday
• November 27: Cyber Monday
• November 28: Grammy nominations announced
• November 28: Giving Tuesday
• December 3: Supermoon
• December 3: Selection Sunday (college football)
• December 6: Time’s Person of the Year
• December 8: The Crown Season 2
• December 9: Heisman Trophy awarded
• December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
• December 11: Golden Globes nominations
• December 12: Hanukkah
• December 15: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• December 21: First day of winter
• December 24: Christmas Eve
• December 25: Christmas Day
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 8: College football championship (Alabama won in 2017)
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 4: Super Bowl 52

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28

• Joan Plowright is 88. Country musician Charlie Daniels is 81. Dennis Franz is 73. Wayne Fontana is 72. Caitlyn Jenner is 68. Annie Potts is 65. Bill Gates is 62. Daphne Zuniga is 55. Lauren Holly is 54. Jami Gertz is 52. Andy Richter is 51. Julia Roberts is 50. Ben Harper is 48. Country singer Brad Paisley is 45. Joaquin Phoenix is 43. Justin Guarini is 39. Frank Ocean is 30. Nolan Gould is 19.

• Champagne Day. Make A Difference Day. National Chocolate Day. St. Jude’s Day. Hug a Sheep Day.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29

• Melba Moore is 72. Richard Dreyfuss is 70. Kate Jackson is 69. Dan Castellaneta is 60. Joely Fisher is 50. Winona Ryder is 46. Gabrielle Union is 45.

• Internet Day. National Cat Day. Visit A Cemetery Day. Oatmeal Day.

INTERPREP ★ OCTOBER 25, 2017

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 25, 2017

This is day 298 of 2017. There are 67 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Marion Ross (Happy Days) is 89

• Former basketball coach Bobby Knight is 77

• Helen Reddy is 76

• Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons) is 60

• Michael Boatman (The Good Wife) is 53

• Samantha Bee (Full Frontal, The Daily Show) is 48

• Craig Robinson (Darryl on The Office) is 46

• Katy Perry is 33

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1938: The Archbishop of Dubuque, Francis J. L. Beckman, denounced Swing music as “a degenerated musical system… turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people”, warning that it leads down a “primrose path to hell”.

• 1970: The wreck of Confederate submarine Hunley was found off Charleston, South Carolina, by underwater archaeologist Dr. E. Lee Spence. Hunley was the first submarine to sink a ship in warfare.

• 1982: The TV show Newhart debuted. It starred Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon. Also on the show: three lovable brothers named Larry, Darryl and Darryl.

• 2001: Windows XP was released.

• 1998: A Danish man said goodbye to his 86-year-old father by taking his corpse for a motorcycle ride and stopping at a bar for a beer and a cigar. Flemming Pedersen asked to be left alone with his dad, dressed the corpse in leather, a helmet, boots, and dark glasses, strapped it to his Harley-Davidson, and rode around Copenhagen for three hours to his father’s favorite places. He said he felt good about the ride.

• 1999: Golfer Payne Stewart and five others were killed when their Learjet flew uncontrolled for four hours before crashing in South Dakota. Stewart was 42.

• 2002: The Utah State Court of Appeals dismissed Robert Paul Rice’s claims that the Utah State Prison was violating his right to practice his religion by failing to provide him with a “vampire” diet. The so-called vampire diet apparently would have involved a conjugal visit from a “vampress.”

• 2007: According to a British paper, human branding had become the latest twisted fashion trend for young professionals who regard straightforward tattoos and piercings as passe. They were happily paying up to $140 to have red-hot metal brands or cauterizing pens, which burn at more than 1,800 degrees, permanently scar their skin with a design.

• 2010: Sony took its original cassette Walkman off the market.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Chucky The Notorious Killer Doll Day

• International Artists Day

• Sourest Day, for fans of sour foods

• World Pasta Day

• Punk for a Day Day

• Greasy Food Day

UPCOMING

• October 26: Full release of Kennedy assassination papers
• October 27: Pre-order the iPhone X
• October 27: Stranger Things Season 2
• October 28: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)
• November 1: Health insurance enrollment opens
• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends
• November 5: New York City Marathon
• November 7: Election Day
• November 8: CMA Awards
• November 10: College basketball starts
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)
• November 24: Black Friday
• November 25: Small Business Saturday
• November 27: Cyber Monday
• November 28: Grammy nominations announced
• November 28: Giving Tuesday
• December 3: Supermoon
• December 3: Selection Sunday (college football)
• December 6: Time’s Person of the Year
• December 8: The Crown Season 2
• December 9: Heisman Trophy awarded
• December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
• December 11: Golden Globes nominations
• December 12: Hanukkah
• December 15: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• December 21: First day of winter
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 8: College football championship (Alabama won in 2017)
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 4: Super Bowl 52

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

7.5: Calories in each kernel of candy corn.

NEWS ATTACK!

The World Series started last night (Tuesday) in Los Angeles and boy, was it hot. [Players substituted their sunflower seeds for ice cubes.]

Critics are calling for an investigation into why Scott Pruitt, the head of the EPA, warrants a huge 30-person security team at a cost of $2 million a year. [It’s probably has to do with all the death threats he’s gotten after he okayed coal-fired daycare centers.]

The dogs of an Iditarod champ have tested positive for pain-killers. [If I had to pull a sled at top speed in the cold for days on end, I’d test positive for more than pain-killers.]

A group of men in Australia swam to a crocodile trap and got inside with the bait. [That’s how stupid people die — then they aggravate everyone else with their six-block-long funeral procession.]

According to a new study, massive floods that used to hit New York City only once every 500 years could start occurring every 5 years. [That explains why the new taxicabs have outboard motors.]

Kim Cattrall said in a new interview that she and her fellow cast members of Sex and the City were never friends. [And I seriously doubt the interview is going to change things.]

A fired Nickelodeon producer apologized for sexually harassing female coworkers. [It’s sad when a woman can’t even work at a kids TV network without being slimed.]

A former Canadian TV sports anchor was arrested for robbing two banks in two days. [In the criminal sports world that’s called a doubleheader.]

Scientists have engineered pigs with low body fat. [“No chicken and fish for me. My doctor has me on a strict bacon-only diet.”]

NEWS & NUGGETS

SONY REPORTEDLY ANNOUNCING NEW ROBOT DOG NEXT MONTH _ Sony is planning next spring to roll out a dog-shaped pet robot similar to its discontinued Aibo with updated components that could allow it to control home appliances. Wall Street Journal reports Sony is preparing for a media event in November to show off the product. Last year Sony’s CEO said that the company was developing “a robot capable of forming an emotional bond with customers, and able to grow to inspire love and affection.”

JUDGE WROTE AN EVICTION NOTICE FOR MOM’S OVERDUE BABY _ If you’ve never experienced the agony that is being pregnant and past your due date, you should count yourself lucky. There’s the extreme discomfort, the nervousness, and the strong desire to finally, finally see your baby. Those feelings can lead to some extreme actions, like getting a judge to issue an eviction notice for your overdue baby. Kaylee Bays was expecting her third child when she went into labor last week. Unfortunately, her labor stalled and she was sent home by the hospital. The next day, tired and eager to bring her baby into the world, she went back to her job as a judicial assistant at the Fourth District Court in Utah and jokingly asked Judge Lynn Davis to draft up an eviction notice for her unborn child. Surprisingly, the eviction notice worked! A little less than 12 hours after the notice was signed and officiated, Kaylee’s daughter, Gretsel, was born.

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: Moms, when you were past your due date what did you do that made you go into labor?

A CAFE IS SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE TO EAT AVOCADOS ALL DAY _ If you’ve ever dreamt of swapping your commute to become a professional avocado taster, you could be in luck. The avocado is set to be the main attraction at the world’s first avocado café opening in Sydney, Australia, next week. The Head of Avo Control (yes, that is a real job) will have the task of taste-testing 20 avocado options on the menu. The job description reads: “The Head of Avo Control will also be an avocado “avocate” willing to snap, gram, tweet and FB your avo experience…”

Thought it was too good to be true? You’re probably right. It’s an unpaid gig — the person who gets the job will just be able to eat for free and get their avo fix for the entire month the pop-up is open.

SAUDI ARABIA WILL BUILD $500B MEGA-CITY 33 TIMES THE SIZE OF NYC _ Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter, but falling oil prices have made it more difficult for the country to pay its oil workers. Now the Saudi Arabian government has come up with a project that could give its economy a boost: a $500 billion mega-city that will connect to Jordan and Egypt and be powered completely by renewable energy. The business and industrial-focused city will span 10,230 square miles. To put that size in perspective, 10,230 square miles is more than 33 times the land area of New York City.

TRAIN BLOCKS MICHIGAN RAILROAD CROSSING FOR NINE HOURS _ Commuters in a Detroit-area city faced an unexpected detour the other day when a train blocked a railroad crossing for nine hours. The city manager of Plymouth, Michigan, called the train’s owner, CSX, who told him the situation should be resolved in a week to 10 days. But they didn’t tell the city what the situation is.

REPORTER HELPS NEW COP PROPOSE TO GIRLFRIEND LIVE ON AIR _ Phillip Santana had just been sworn into the NYPD as a new police officer. His girlfriend Jennifer waited to congratulate him. After meeting and congratulating him, Jennifer joined Phillip when he was being interviewed by a reporter with a TV station about graduating police academy. Little did Jennifer know, the reporter and Phillip had joined forces for a very special surprise. While asking him about his new role as a police officer, the reporter asked Phillip to spell out his name and that of his fiancée. Of course, both Phillip and Jennifer were taken aback; she was his girlfriend, not his fiancée. “Fianceé?” Phillip asked, turning to Jennifer… and then to the officer next to him. Then Phillip turned back around with an engagement ring box in his hand. Live, on TV, he proposed and she said yes.

LISTEN TO TUNES WHILE YOU WORK OUT _ People who listen to tunes while exercising put more “umph” into their workout. A study finds music is a mood-enhancer, distractor, and makes you more likely to push yourself.

RAMEN FORK WILL PLAY NOISES TO COVER UP YOUR GROSS SLURPING _ A new invention out of Japan is taking on the problem of “noodle harassment,” which basically involves the rather unpleasant slurping sound that accompanies eating ramen. Japanese company Nissin, makers of the Cup Noodle, has invented the Otohiko — a tech-enhanced fork that will detect slurping noises and camouflage them with other sounds. The tech-enhanced fork can detect multiple types of slurping sounds. When the fork hears you engaging in noodle harassment, it will connect to an app on your smartphone and direct it to play customizable sounds to cover up your shame.

COUPLES IN THESE STATES ARGUE LESS THAN REST OF U.S. _ A new study (by Mattress Clarity) says couples in Alaska, South Dakota, Maine and West Virginia fight the least. — nine times a month. The national average is 19 times. Hawaii couples fight the most — 47 times per month.

… The study also found that the average couple in the U.S. spends the night in separate beds 5.5 times per month.

… Find the rest of the map here.

BAD WEATHER MIGHT MAKE US BAD DRIVERS _ A study has found bad weather may make drivers more hostile. On cloudy days, people are more likely to feel angry and irritable behind the wheel than on sunny days.

PRINCE HARRY REVEALS HE’S NEVER TOASTED A MARSHMALLOW _ Prince Harry hung out with a group of teens at a U.K. nature reserve on Monday and revealed a personal tidbit that left many baffled. Prince Harry told the kids: “I’ve never toasted marshmallows over a campfire. They’re too sweet for me.” To his credit, the former military man says he’s “made campfires and slept under the stars more than I’ve slept in a bed.”

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What food has everyone but you eaten?

COUPLE CROWDFUNDING FOR WHISKEY-BASED DEODORANT _ A Colorado (Loveland) has launched a Kickstarter for a deodorant called Pit Liquor — all-organic spray deodorant using whiskey and essential oils. Jason and Erica Feucht are looking to raise $12,000. • LINK

WE’RE NOT LIVING IN A COMPUTER SIMULATION _ If you love the Matrix movies and often think you’re living in a computer simulations, you can relax. A team of theoretical physicists from Oxford University in the UK have shown that life and reality cannot be simulations generated by a massive extraterrestrial computer. In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, researchers show that constructing a computer simulation of a particular quantum phenomenon that occurs in metals is impossible — not just practically, but in principle.

COMMANDER OF FIRST FLIGHT OF SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER DIES _ Paul Weitz, a retired NASA astronaut who commanded the first flight of the space shuttle Challenger and also piloted the Skylab in the early 1970s, has died. He was 85. Weitz died at his retirement home in Flagstaff, Arizona. A NASA biography says Weitz was among the class of 19 astronauts who were chosen in April 1966. He served as command module pilot on the first crew of the orbiting space laboratory known as Skylab during a 28-day mission in 1973. Weitz also commanded the first launch of the shuttle Challenger in April 1983. The five-day mission took off from the Kennedy space Center in Florida and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Challenger was destroyed and seven crew members killed during its 10th launch on January 28, 1986.

MAN PAYS OFF $85,000 IN DEBT BY LIVING IN CAMPER FOR 4 YEARS _ A man in Calgary has paid off more than $85,000 of debt by spending nearly four years living in a 20-foot-long camper parked on city streets. Geoffrey Westlock says he was working in a warehouse in late 2013 when his boss frightened him by suggesting the business might shut down. He was renting a two-bedroom townhouse, making payments on a pickup truck, owed tens of thousands of dollars to a friend and was barely making the monthly minimums on three credit cards. Westlock crunched some numbers and says he realized “if I just got rid of my rent I’d be fine.” He traded rent checks for lower trailer payments and cut his spending to nearly nothing. Westlock says his humble home was very cold in winter and it needs to be moved frequently to avoid parking fines, but the sacrifice has been worth it. Now that the debt is gone, Westlock says he plans to sock away savings until he can buy a piece of land.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: WHY WE PROCRASTINATE — AND HOW TO FIX IT _ Learning a new thing or doing something you would rather not do can be stressing. This can cause anxiety at first. This activates the area associated with pain in the brain. Your brain looks for a way to stop that negative feeling by switching your attention to something else more pleasant. That’s procrastination.

… The solution: Just start. Researchers discovered that not long after people start actually working out what they didn’t like, that neuro-discomfort disappeared.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN ROBS STORE WEARING SCUBA MASK _ A man wearing a mask used a knife to commit a robbery at a Largo, Florida, convenience store. Police caught the man — who was wearing a scuba mask as a disguise — as he exited the store.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GARBAGE TRUCK HITS STORE NAMED A BEAUTIFUL MESS _ A runaway garbage truck has slammed into the front of a New York gift shop named A Beautiful Mess. The truck caused extensive damage.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN SAYS SHE SLIPPED ON SANDWICH LEFTOVERS _ A Delaware judge says a woman who says she slipped on the remnants of a sandwich can continue her lawsuit against a popular convenience store chain. Lisa Donovan says she slipped and fell on “hoagie guts,” or discarded sandwich pieces, in the parking lot of a store in 2014.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PILFERED PANTIES _ Cops in Nevada say they received a call from a woman reporting her underwear had been taken from the laundry room at her apartment building. When police investigated they found other women whose panties had also been stolen. Through a little investigating, cops found a man that had more than 65 pairs of stolen panties. Cops are looking to speak with anyone who is missing panties. They also hope to reunite the missing panties with their rightful owners.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MISSED MARRIAGE PROPOSAL _ A Malaysian woman missed a giant banner announcing a marriage proposal from her boyfriend because she didn’t take her usual route to work. The girlfriend started getting phone calls from her friends asking her if she had seen the banner. She freaked when she found out — and then accepted her boyfriend’s offer.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HALLOWEEN THIEVES LEAVE PAINT TRAIL _ In Michigan some teens tried getting ready for Halloween by stealing several large blow-up Halloween ornaments from the front yard of a home. They might have gotten away with it if they had not decided to paint a few choice words on a nearby building. In the process, they spilled some paint and then stepped in it, giving the police a nice paint trail to follow right to their house.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CLERK TELLS ROBBER SHE’S TOO BUSY _ In the U.K., a woman was behind the cash register at a gas station when a man with a gun came in and demanded everything in her drawer. But instead of surrendering the cash the 51-year-old turned to the robber and told him she was too busy to deal with him.

ON TELEVISION

WORLD SERIES GAME 2 (8p ET, FOX) — The Dodgers and Astros play game 2.

SURVIVOR (8p ET, CBS) — New.

THE BLACKLIST (8p ET, NBC) — New. Red and Hawkins (guest star Aida Turturro) lay the groundwork for their new business venture.

THE GOLDBERGS (8p ET, ABC) — New. The Goldbergs celebrates its 100th episode.

RIVERDALE (8p ET, CW) — New. Jughead befriends a Southside Serpent on his first day.

2017 AMERICAN HUMANE HERO DOG AWARDS (8p ET, Hallmark Channel) — Beth Stern and James Denton host the seventh annual ceremony.

SPEECHLESS (8:30p ET, ABC) — New. After eating old candy, the DiMeo kids have bad dreams.

SEAL TEAM (9p ET, CBS) — New. The team must protect the American Embassy in South Sudan when the ambassador refuses to evacuate.

MODERN FAMILY (9p ET, ABC) — New. Phil and Claire start to question their enthusiasm for Halloween.

LAW & ORDER: SVU (9p ET, NBC) — New. An old kidnapping case is reopened when a young woman is found in Central Park.

DYNASTY (9p ET, CW) — New. Fallon fights to use the family name in her new business venture.

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

CHICAGO P.D. (10p ET, NBC) — New. A meth lab bust uncovers a scam involving children adopted from foreign countries.

CRIMINAL MINDS (10p ET, CBS) — New. Morgan (Shemar Moore) returns to to help Penelope deal with a case.

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (10p ET, ABC) — New. MI-6 agent Damian Rennett joins FBI agent Hannah Wells to solve an international murder.

ENTERTAINMENT

CLINT EASTWOOD’S THE 15:17 TO PARIS IS ARRIVING IN FEBRUARY _ Clint Eastwood’s The 15:17 to Paris will arrive in theaters on February 9, 2018. The film tells the real-life story of three men whose brave act turned them into heroes during a highspeed railway ride.

… In the early evening of August 21, 2015, the world watched in stunned silence as the media reported a thwarted terrorist attack on Thalys train #9364 bound for Paris — an attempt prevented by three courageous young Americans traveling through Europe. The 15:17 to Paris follows the course of the friends’ lives, from the struggles of childhood through finding their footing in life, to the series of unlikely events leading up to the attack.

PAUL WALKER’S DAUGHTER MEADOW SETTLES WITH PORSCHE _ It’s been almost four years since the world lost Paul Walker in a high-speed car crash while he was a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT. Three years and 11 months after the actor’s death, his 18-year-old daughter Meadow Walker is still missing her father, but one important chapter has come to a close — her wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche has finally been settled. The lawsuit was settled with the German car company on October 16. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but documents state that now that a settlement has been reached, both parties have requested for a dismissal of the suit.

JAMIE FOXX JOINS JOHNNIE COCHRAN MOVIE _ Jamie Foxx has been cast as Black Panther leader Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt in Signal Hill, the Johnnie Cochran biopic starring Anthony Mackie. Signal Hill will be centered on the 1981 wrongful death case of college football star Ron Settles. Signal Hill police ruled that Settles had hanged himself in a city jail cell in despair over his arrest for speeding, but Cochran suspected foul play and persuaded the Settles family to request that the body be exhumed for an autopsy, which showed Settles had been choked to death.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN ACCUSER HITS WEINSTEIN CO. WITH $5M LAWSUIT _ A woman accusing Harvey Weinstein of behaving inappropriately with her has filed a lawsuit against The Weinstein Company, claiming that the company was aware of accusations against Weinstein well before her encounter with the disgraced film mogul. In her suit Huett says that, as an aspiring actress in 2010, she arranged a meeting with Weinstein at the Peninsula Bevery Hills hotel, where Weinstein was living at the time. Huett says she wanted to discuss the possibility of Weinstein helping her procure roles. Instead, she says, he asked to see her breasts and asked if she had a “boob job,” cautioning her that breast-augmentation surgery would be detrimental to finding work.

… The pair went to Weinstein’s room, the suit says, where Weinstein went to the bathroom and returned “wearing only a bathrobe.” According to the suit, Weinstein demanded a massage from Huett and asked for sexual favors.

KARDASHIANS SIGN RENEWAL DEAL WITH E! _ The Kardashians are staying put at E! The reality TV family has inked a rich new multiyear deal with the channel. An inside source said the deal runs through 2020 but disputed the $150 million-dollar price tag reported by TMZ, instead estimating the new pact is south of $100 million.

JUSTICE LEAGUE RUNTIME REVEALED _ The runtime for Justice League has been revealed, and it’s the shortest of all the DC movies so far. Justice League — featuring Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman — will top out at 1 minute over 2 hours. The next-shortest DC flick was Suicide Squad, which clocked in at 123 minutes. The longest — Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — was 151 minutes in length. Man of Steel was 143 minutes, Wonder Woman was 141

ROBERT GUILLAUME, BENSON’ STAR, DIES AT 89 _ Actor Robert Guillaume, best known for his title role in the TV series Benson, died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89. His wife Donna Guillaume said he had battled prostate cancer in recent years.

MARK WAHLBERG SAYS HE HOPES GOD FORGIVES HIM FOR BOOGIE NIGHTS _ Mark Wahlberg says he hopes God will forgive him for his role as a porn star in the 1997 film Boogie Nights. Wahlberg told the Chicago Tribune ahead of an event with a Chicago’s Cardinal that he hopes “that God is a movie fan and also forgiving” because he says he’s made “some poor choices” in the past. Wahlberg listed Boogie Nights when asked if he’s prayed for forgiveness for any of his movies. Boogie Nights follows the career of Wahlberg’s character Dirk Diggler through the porn industry in the 1970s and 1980s.

CATE BLANCHETT ON ‘LOOKING SEXY’: IT’S NOT AN INVITATION _ On Monday night at the InStyle Awards, freshly anointed 2017 ‘Style Icon’ Cate Blanchett stood up with a message that cut through the news noise. Though Harvey Weinstein’s name went unsaid during the glittery evening at the Getty Center, Blanchett subtly addressed one of the criticisms directed at women who have accused the movie mogul of harassment. She took the podium and outlined a reality in which women dress for themselves, not because they’re ‘asking for it.’ Blanchet said, “It’s about women who feel free to wear what they want, when they want and how they want to wear it. I mean, you know we all like looking sexy but it doesn’t mean we want to (boink) you. No one says to Steve Bannon: ‘You look like a bag of trash, do you want want me to throw you out?'”

TOP TV SWS _ Week of October 16-22.

NFL Football: Atlanta at New England, NBC, 19.24 million
60 Minutes, CBS, 14.58 million
NFL Football: Kansas City at Oakland, CBS, 14.39 million
Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC, 13.85 million
The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 13.08 million
NCIS, CBS, 12.85 million
The Walking Dead, AMC, 11.44 million
This is Us, NBC, 10.65 million
The Good Doctor, ABC, 10.6 million
Bull, CBS, 10.49 million
Football Night in America, Part 3, NBC, 10.44 million
The Voice (Monday), NBC, 10.37 million
The Voice (Tuesday), NBC, 10.03 million
Major League Baseball: ALCS, Game 7, New York Yankees at Houston, Fox Sports, 9.92 million
Dancing With the Stars, ABC, 9.58 million
NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 9.54 million
Blue Bloods, CBS, 9.07 million
Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 8.67 million
NFL Football: Indianapolis at Tennessee, ESPN, 8.44 million
NCIS Los Angeles, CBS, 8.18 million

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• PHONER: What do you want to be buried with? A recent survey said we want to be buried with pets ashes, team jerseys, a favorite piece of jewelry. → 2 real calls for launching a phoner

• DROPS: Contest clips package.

INTERPREP PROSHARE

BITS & BREAKS

THE BEST TIME

There’s an optimal time to do everything. When is the best time to…

THE HARDEST THING YOU’LL DO ALL DAY: Early morning — Your stress hormone cortisol rises just before waking, increasing your blood-sugar level, giving you the energy and momentum to manage difficult situations effectively.

MAKE A PRESENTATION: 10am — Morning is the time of day when your voice is most rested. And by 9 or 10, you’ve had a chance to drink some water; a good dose of hydration will help eliminate early-morning raspiness.

MAKE MAJOR STRATEGIC DECISIONS: Late morning –Your body temperature is rising. Your alertness is up. Your brain’s ability to process information is at its best.

BEST TIME TO MAKE YOUR MOVE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX: 11:55am — If you are lusting after a coworker, ask him or her out just before lunch — when his or her mood is likely to be best. People are usually more receptive right before they leave for lunch, because their minds aren’t cluttered with what they have to do that day or what they’re planning to do when they get home.

BEST TIME TO READ TEDIOUS REPORTS WITH LOTS OF NUMBERS IN THEM: Early afternoon — Your vision is often a bit blurry in the early morning and sharpens over a few hours.

BEST TIME TO SNACK: 2pm — Eat a handful of nuts. The protein will increase your energy, and the fat will keep you full until dinner.

BEST TIME TO FIRE SOMEBODY: Mid-afternoon — Even if you have to ruin your employees’ day, you don’t have to ruin their lives. Heart attacks are more likely to hit in the first three hours after you wake up than at any other time.

BEST TIME TO TEE OFF WITH CLIENTS: 4:50pm: Typically, hand-eye coordination reaches optimal levels in the late afternoon.

BRAIN AEROBICS

If you want your brain — and your memory — to work better, you have to exercise it. Stretch it in new ways. At least that’s the word from neurobiologists at Duke University who say you need to cross-train your brain to keep it limber enough to remember names, master new skills, and stay creative. Here’s a sample of things you can do to keep your brain fresh.

• When you get ready in the morning (you know the drill — shower, shave, eat breakfast), use your non-dominant hand.

• Find things like the shower faucet, the soap, your car keys, and the ignition with your eyes closed.

• Learn the Braille numbers for some floors in your office building.

• Visit the spice aisle and use all your senses to experience the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells.

• Fill small bottles with different aromatic herbs and sniff up the scent when you dial a new phone number. Why? This may help you recall the number.

• When you travel, avoid American-style hotels and eateries. Go local and try what’s new and different.

THE 15 WORST TV SHOWS EVER MADE

According to Rotten Tomatoes.

15. 2011 – I Hate My Teenage Daughter, starring Jaime Pressly

14. 2009 – Hank, starring Kelsey Grammer

13. 2014 – Friends With Better Lives, starring James Van Der Beek

12. 2012 – Rob, starring Rob Schneider

11. 2016 – Hunters, starring some people on the SyFy network

10. 2014 – Saint George, starring comedian George Lopez

9. 2016 – Damien, starring some guy

8. 2015 – Dr. Ken, starring Ken Jeong

7. 2011 – Charlie’s Angels, starring, uh, who knows

6. 2013 – Dads, starring Seth Green

5. 2015 – Rosewood, starring Morris Chestnut

4. 2017 – The Kennedys: After Camelot, starring Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear

3. 2011 – Allen Gregory, an adult animation created in part by Jonah Hill

2. 2013 – We Are Men, starring Jerry O’Connell, Kal Penn an Tony Shalhoub

1. 2012 – Work It, starring two guys who dress up like women to find employment in St Louis

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: The average one of these has 127 layers. (Onion. And that’s just an onion the size of a tennis ball.)

BREAKFAST BINGO

Five questions. Each answer begins with the corresponding letter in the word BINGO.

• They give you gas. (Beans)

• Cleveland’s baseball team. (Indians)

• When Ronald Reagan was president, she was the First Lady. (Nancy)

• The three-letter gadget that tells you exactly where you are. (GPS)

• An eye care professional who provides lenses for the correction of vision defects. (Optician)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Airport employee dances while directing plane on runway.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Chicken socks.

source: imgur

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 25, 2017

• 1912: Sara Ophelia Colley was born in Centerville, Tennessee. She was better known to the world as MINNIE PEARL.

• 1984: ALABAMA’s albums Mountain Music and Feels So Right were certified triple platinum while The Closer You Get and Roll On each achieved double platinum status.

• 1992: ROGER MILLER died in Los Angeles at the age of 56 of lung cancer.

• 1997: The DIXIE CHICKS made their chart debut with I Can Love You Better.

• 2000: VINCE GILL and DOLLY PARTON hosted a television taping honoring the Grand Ole Opry’s 75th birthday.

• 2010: TAYLOR SWIFT’s Speak Now album was released.

• 2015: THE OAK RIDGE BOYS, THE BROWNS and guitarist Grady Martin were inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

SAWYER BROWN frontman Mark Miller is 59.

CHELY WRIGHT is 47.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• On Tuesday’s The Voice Natalie Stovall faced off against fellow Team Blake member Adam Cunningham while performing LITTLE BIG TOWN’s Boondocks, before Stovall was eliminated.

• MADDIE AND TAE’s Maddie is in to couponing.

• FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE is inspired by old sounds.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

The Country Music Association has revealed collaborations between KELSEA BALLERINI and REBA MCENTIRE, DIERKS BENTLEY and RASCAL FLATTS, MAREN MORRIS and Niall Horan, and BRAD PAISLEY and KANE BROWN will take place during the 2017 CMA Awards, airing November 8 from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The show will also include performances by GARTH BROOKS, MIRANDA LAMBERT, JON PARDI, LUKE BRYAN and CARRIE UNDERWOOD, who will co-host with Brad once again.

MAREN MORRIS is the first country artist to sign a modeling contract with Wilhelmina Modeling Agency. She will partner with the agency as a celebrity model to showcase various fashion looks that will include future album artwork and more.

JASON ALDEAN’s Concert For The Cure raised more than $330,000 for the Louisville chapter of Susan G. Komen.

ERIC CHURCH will release a 15 LP vinyl set of his 61 Days In Church Tour. Pre-orders begin October 27 at 61daysinchurch.com. The first shipment, which will go out December 15, will include the first three LPs, a tour book, special poster and road case. An additional LP volume will ship once a month throughout the month of 2018.

LUKE BRYAN will be the focus of Living Every Day: Luke Bryan airing November 6 on ABC. The documentary style special, hosted by Robin Roberts, follows Luke on his farm as well as how he juggles his music career and new gig as a judge on American Idol. The show will include an interview with CMA Awards hosts BRAD PAISLEY and CARRIE UNDERWOOD along with Luke’s family.

LUKE BRYAN is the 2017 Songwriter/Artist of the Year from Nashville Songwriters Association International. He took home the honor Monday night.

KENNY ROGERS’ final concert, All In For The Gambler, is set for tonight (Wednesday) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. In addition to his final performance with DOLLY PARTON, the show will also includes performances by REBA MCENTIRE, LADY ANTEBELLUM, CHRIS STAPLETON and Lionel Richie.

It’s two in a row for LUKE COMBS, whose tune When It Rains, It Pours, tops the Country Airplay (Billboard) chart this week, following the number one success of his debut, Hurricane, back in May.

KIP MOORE scores his fourth number one this week (Mediabase) with More Girls Like You.

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 26, 2017

This is day 299 of 2017. There are 66 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Jaclyn Smith (Charlie’s Angels) is 72

• Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is 71

• Hillary Clinton is 70

• Rita Wilson is 61

• Dylan McDermott (The Practice) is 56

• Cary Elwes is 55

• Jeff Probst is 55

• Tom Cavanagh (The Flash, ‘Ed) is 49

• Seth McFarlane (Family Guy) is 44

• Jon Heder (Blades of Glory, Napoleon Dynamite) is 40

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1881: The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place at Tombstone, Arizona.

• 1951: Boxer Joe Louis came out of retirement to fight Rocky Marciano. However, Marciano would win the fight in eight rounds.

• 1965: The Beatles were appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs).

• 1984: In Loma Linda, California, a baboon’s heart was transplanted into “Baby Fae,” a newborn with a severe heart defect. Baby Fae lived 21 days with her experimental animal heart.

• 1990: Wayne Gretzky became the first National Hockey League player to reach 2,000 points.

• 1996: Prosecutors cleared Atlanta guard Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic Park bombing.

• 2010: Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest water control and utilization project, announced its water levels had reached full capacity.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Howl at The Moon Night

• National Day of The Deployed

• Pumpkin Day

UPCOMING

• October 26: Full release of Kennedy assassination papers
• October 27: Pre-order the iPhone X
• October 27: Stranger Things Season 2
• October 28: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)
• November 1: Health insurance enrollment opens
• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends
• November 5: New York City Marathon
• November 7: Election Day
• November 8: CMA Awards
• November 10: College basketball starts
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)
• November 24: Black Friday
• November 25: Small Business Saturday
• November 27: Cyber Monday
• November 28: Grammy nominations announced
• November 28: Giving Tuesday
• December 3: Supermoon
• December 3: Selection Sunday (college football)
• December 6: Time’s Person of the Year
• December 8: The Crown Season 2
• December 9: Heisman Trophy awarded
• December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
• December 11: Golden Globes nominations
• December 12: Hanukkah
• December 15: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• December 21: First day of winter
• December 31: New Year’s Eve
• January 1: New Year’s Day
• January 1: Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (college semis)
• January 8: College football championship (Alabama won in 2017)
• January 23: Oscar nominations announced
• January 31: Total lunar eclipse/blood moon
• February 4: Super Bowl 52

INTERPREP ★ OCTOBER 20, 2017

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 20, 2017

This is day 293 of 2017. There are 72 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Melanie Mayron (thirtysomething) is 65

• Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings) is 59

• Snoop Dogg is 46

• John Krasinski (13 Hours, The Office) is 38

• Jennifer Nicole Freeman (My Wife and Kids) is 32

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1882: Bela Lugosi was born. He was best known for playing Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version.

• 1910: The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, was launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland.

• 1947: The House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence in the motion picture industry.

• 1955: The Return of the King, the last part of The Lord of the Rings, was published.

• 1967: A purported bigfoot was filmed by Patterson and Gimlin.

• 1968: Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

• 1977: A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in Mississippi, killing lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines along with backup singer Cassie Gaines, the road manager, pilot, and co-pilot.

• 1979: The John F. Kennedy library opened in Boston, Massachusetts.

• 1992: In the first World Series game to be played outside the United States, the host Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2.

• 2004: A U.S. Army staff sergeant, Ivan “Chip” Frederick, pleaded guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. (Frederick was sentenced to eight years in prison.)

• 2006: A British woman who claimed to have been dumped by her cheating husband dumped his entire wardrobe for sale on eBay. The furious mother of two said she would take cash or swap the items for “a decent single man.” The clothes came from her husband’s closet, but she advised buyers that some items “might be slightly damp due to them being chucked out of the window.”

• 2011: The former leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, and his son were killed while in the custody of NTC fighters.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• National Waitperson Day

• International Sloth Day

• Suspenders Day

UPCOMING

• October 24: World Series begins
• October 27: Pre-order the iPhone X
• October 27: Stranger Things Season 2
• October 28: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)
• November 1: Health insurance enrollment opens
• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends
• November 5: New York City Marathon
• November 7: Election Day
• November 8: CMA Awards
• November 10: College basketball starts
• November 11: Veteran’s Day
• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)
• November 24: Black Friday
• November 25: Small Business Saturday
• November 27: Cyber Monday
• November 28: Grammy nominations announced
• November 28: Giving Tuesday
• December 3: Supermoon
• December 3: Selection Sunday (college football)
• December 6: Time’s Person of the Year
• December 8: The Crown Season 2
• December 9: Heisman Trophy awarded
• December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
• December 11: Golden Globes nominations
• December 12: Hanukkah
• December 15: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• December 21: First day of winter

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21

• Elvin Bishop is 75. Judge Judy is 75. Trumpeter Lee Loughnane of Chicago is 71. Matthew Ramsey of Old Dominion is 40. Kim Kardashian is 37. Country singer Kane Brown is 24.

• Bridge Day. Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. Reptile Awareness Day. Sweetest Day. Count Your Buttons Day – Sounds like a good task for the kids

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22

• Christopher Lloyd is 79. Catherine Deneuve is 74. Jeff Goldblum is 65. Bob Odenkirk is 55. TobyMac is 53. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 49. Shaggy is 49. Spike Jonze is 48. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 42. Michael Fishman is 36. Zac Hanson is 32. Jonathan Lipnicki is 27.

• Caps Locks Day. International Stuttering Awareness Day. Mother-in-Law Day. National Nut Day.

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

2: Years we spend taking showers.

NEWS ATTACK!

Chris Long of the Philadelphia Eagles is pledging his entire yearly income of $1 million to charity. [Some are praising him as a great guy while others claim he’s taken too many shots to the head.]

An 11-year-old in Colorado was expelled from his Cub Scout Den for asking a visiting state senator tough questions. [He’s also been barred from the White House press room.]

Have you heard about that conspiracy theory that Melania Trump has a body double? [So now there are two women in the White House that don’t want to be there.]

A Canadian man is suing Sunwing Airlines for implying that they serve champagne when it’s really sparkling wine. He’s filed a class action lawsuit. [He’s trying to upgrade it to a first-class action lawsuit but the airline is fighting to make it business class.]

An investigation reveals that manufacturers of eye drops intentionally make the drops too big for your eyes so that you waste drops and have to buy more. [That explains Costco’s Visine in a Bucket.]

They’re having a huge problem in Hawaii with people stealing SPAM. It’s being used as a form of currency in drug deals. [So, in Hawaii users have a drug problem while their dealers have a weight problem.]

Are you going to see the new Thor movie? [Thor loses his job as the God of Thunder and uses his hammer to begin a new career as the world’s greatest superhero auctioneer.]

Shia LaBeouf was sentenced Thursday to a year of probation plus anger management classes. [I’ll bet that really ticked him off.]

For the first time the NFL is giving away free tickets to the Super Bowl. [That’s about the only way (team) will ever get there.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

SCIENTISTS CONFIRM: CANINES GIVE OWNERS ‘PUPPY DOG EYES’ ON PURPOSE _ Whether you own a dog or have been to someone’s house who owns one, chances are you’ve been given puppy dog eyes. This, of course, is where the dog looks up and displays the white of his eyes and appears to be begging. The look that can melt your heart in an instant is usually given to people by dogs when they want something, particularly food. Now, a new study (University of Portsmouth) has determined that dogs give the look to their owners on purpose as a way to communicate.

… One of the researchers said: “The findings appear to support evidence dogs are sensitive to humans’ attention and that expressions are potentially active attempts to communicate, not simple emotional displays.”

WOMAN’S MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE FOUND 29 YEARS LATER _ A South Carolina woman’s message in a bottle finally found its way to shore nearly three decades after she first wrote it. Miranda Chavez shared a photo of the letter after a couple in Georgia discovered the 29-year-old message. Miranda placed the message in a glass bottle and tossed it in the ocean in 1988. Linda Humphries and her husband David found the letter just 90 miles down the coast after their home state of Georgia had been hit by Hurricane Irma. Humphries managed to track Miranda down despite the fact the address she wrote on the letter no longer exists. • IMAGE

LIBRARY OF TRUMP’S TWEETS OPENS IN CHICAGO TODAY _ The Daily Show’s presidential Twitter library normally resides in New York. But this weekend residents of Chicago can see it this weekend only. It’s free and open to the public from 10 AM to 10 PM Saturday and Sunday in the Burlington Room at Chicago’s Union Station.

… The library displays the president’s Twitter feed, and exhibits include testimonials of people who were targeted by Trump on the social network, as well as what The Daily Show considers his finest work.

HALF OF TECH EXPERTS SAY FAKE NEWS CAN’T BE FIXED _ With Facebook and Google still struggling to combat fake news, especially during crises like the Las Vegas shooting, the proliferation of such false content might seem like an unstoppable flow. If that’s your opinion, you’re in the slight majority. A Pew survey of over 1,100 “tech experts” and scholars found that 51 percent believed the fake news problem will continue to get worse.

… Those who believe technology won’t stop efforts by fake news generators had two major arguments: Desire pleasing content will inevitably feed the fake news machines, and that technological advance will outpace our ability to comprehend and control it. The 49 percent who believe we’ll get a handle on fake news have faith in eventual tech fixes, along with our human capability to recognize a collective threat and collectively organize a solution.

HAWAII: STORES FORCED TO INCREASE SPAM SECURITY _ Hawaii can’t get enough Spam — residents eat five million tons of the canned meat every year. Now, after a series of brazen Spam heists a Walmart (in Kalihi) has the stuff under lock and key. At other stores, signs read: “All the corned beefs are relocated at the front. Please ask staff for assistance.”

… The extra security follows a theft last month in which a man got away with eight cases of Spam from one store. That same month, three women were foiled while trying to steal 18 cases of Spam from another store.

DREAMERS NOW HAVE THEIR OWN EMOJI _ DREAMers now have their very own emoji, a happy face scarfed by an American flag. It was designed by the Hispanic advertising agency GoDiversity as part of the Dreamers We Are With You campaign. The icon was created as a kind of shorthand for challenging the notion that DREAMers aren’t American and as a unifying symbol for DACA recipients and supporters to use across social media platforms. • IMAGE

BOMB-SNIFFING CIA DOG FIRED FOR NOT SNIFFING BOMBS _ Some people just aren’t cut out for the realities of a high-pressure work environment — and it would seem the same goes for dogs. Lulu the labrador’s handler had high hopes of her becoming the CIA’s latest bomb-sniffing talent, but it was not meant to be. A CIA blog post said that a few weeks into training, Lulu began to show signs that she simply “wasn’t interested in detecting explosive odors. Even when they could motivate her with food and play to search, she was clearly not enjoying herself any longer.” The post went on to say that the mental and physical wellbeing of the sniffer dogs is the CIA’s priority, so they “made the extremely difficult decision to do what’s best for Lulu and drop her from the program.”

… But it is not all bad news, as handlers have the option to adopt dogs who are dropped. Lulu now has a new home, and spends her days chasing rabbits and squirrels.

MILWAUKEE MARATHON DISTANCE INCORRECT FOR SECOND YEAR _ If you’re planning to run the Milwaukee Marathon in 2018, let’s hope the third time’s a charm. For the second straight year, organizers of the Milwaukee Marathon have failed to deliver a 26.2 mile course. The race was advertised as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathons, but the distance discrepancy means Milwaukee won’t count.

… Milwaukee Marathon officials confirmed in a statement Wednesday the marathon was short of USATF certification due to the course being “set incorrectly.” This is the second year in a row with distance problems in Milwaukee. Last year, the course was too long (26.3 miles). This year, the marathon was short by nearly a mile — 25.4 miles.

TWITTER TO BAN GROUPS PROMOTING VIOLENCE, HATE SYMBOLS _ Twitter laid out a detailed plan to curb hate and abuse on its service Thursday, revealing that it will soon ban groups that promote violence, and bar users from using hate symbols as their profile picture. The company also plans improve the abuse reporting process, and implement steps that could lead to a lot more bans.

ON MOST SICK DAYS WE AREN’T SICK _ Two-thirds of those who call in sick to work aren’t really sick. In a recent survey, personal illness accounts for only 34 percent of unscheduled absences. Family issues account for 22 percent, followed by personal needs (18 percent), entitlement mentality (13 percent) and stress/burnout (13 percent). And get this — most employees tend to become violently ill on Mondays, Fridays, and right before or after a holiday.

UNPAID $7 WAFFLE HOUSE BILL LEADS TO ID THEFT RING _ Police in Louisiana have uncovered a sophisticated identity theft ring, thanks to two men who skipped out on their $7 Waffle House bill. Waffle House employees called police Saturday, saying two men had stiffed the restaurant and driven away in a U-Haul van. Investigators were still taking statements at the restaurant when patrol officers spotted a U-Haul van parked at a nearby hotel. The officers arrested the driver and passenger. A search of the van turned up fake identification and credit cards, credit card skimming devices — and a Waffle House receipt for $7.41. The investigation revealed “a highly sophisticated identity theft scheme operating out of Los Angeles.”

… Investigators say the two men had flown into New Orleans from two different states, rented the van in New Orleans, and had installed credit card skimming devices at multiple gas stations in the area to steal customers’ credit card numbers.

WHAT WOMEN WANT _ Do you know what women want? It’s not money or good looks, so pay attention, guys. What women really want in a man — according to a new survey — is someone who is honest, responsible, and doesn’t drink too much. They are also looking for someone who is intelligent, faithful, a good father, and a good listener.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: GUY COVERS SONGS WITH HIS GUN AND TRUMPET _ With the holidays quickly approaching, you’re probably thinking about what gifts to buy your loved ones. Look no further. A YouTube user by the name of Charlie Cook has combined his love of firearms with his affinity for the trumpet to create GunGram. Charlie will customize a video for your special someone and post it on his YouTube channel. Charlies does Happy Birthday, the Mario theme and more. • LINK

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN GETS CABLE BILL FOR $184,530 _ Angela Mixon-Smith said she nearly had a heart attack when she opened up her TV bill in Ohio. The retired postal worker’s DirectTV bill was $184,530.67. Angela said that in April the company offered her a promotional bundle that combined her DirectTV service with an AT&T cell phone plan because the two companies had previously merged. She took the offer but ever since then there have been confusing bills and service issues. Fortunately they corrected the error and cleared Angela’s balance.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBERS WITH KNIVES DEMAND $1 FROM STORE _ In Massachusetts two men entered the Brockton Market and Deli around lunchtime Tuesday while brandishing large hunting-style knives. They demanded… one dollars. Then they fled. No arrests have been made.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TRUCKER USED A GROCERY BAG TO FIX HIS BRAKE LINE _ A semi truck that rolled over in Tacoma had its brake lines tied together with a grocery bag. The driver was not injured and was cited for speeding. Investigators determined that the brakes were faulty and “were probably a contributing factor to the accident.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TACO-EATING TRUCK DRIVER CRASHES, DUMPS LOAD _ The driver of a semi truck lost control and spilled a load of bark in Washington state. The driver was eating a taco when he lost control.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUYS STEAL A HEARSE FOR A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN _ In South Africa, a couple of guys made several mistakes on their evening out on the town. Their first mistake was their choice of vehicle — a hearse that they stole when the driver left it unattended, with a body inside. Second, they forgot to check the gas gauge in the hearse and it ran out of fuel just as they were leaving the bar after enjoying several drinks. And their third and final mistake was asking three of the women they had met inside the bar to help them push the hearse. Thinking something was up, the women declined and instead called police.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHINESE TATTOO DELIVERS THE WRONG MESSAGE _ A teenage girl in England wanted to impress her mother by having the word “mum” tattooed on her back in Chinese letters. But the 19-year-old discovered something was wrong with the tattoo when a passing Chinese woman shouted at her: “Evil, evil, very bad.” It turns out the tattooed Chinese letters did say “mum” — but the symbols meant “friend from hell.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JEWEL THIEF STOLE THE WRONG STUFF _ In Berlin, Germany, one crook should have done a little research before breaking into a jewelry store. While the store contained more than $3 million worth of precious jewels, the crook left with only $59 worth of fake jewels.

ON TELEVISION

FRIDAY

MACGYVER (8p ET, CBS) — New. Mac uses a needle and his teeth to escape after being kidnapped.

ONCE UPON A TIME (8p ET, ABC) — New

LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat

HELL’S KITCHEN (8p ET, FOX) — New. mixed martial artist Paige VanZant and actress/model Shannon Tweed are the VIPs at dinner service.

CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND (8p ET, CW) — New

HAWAII FIVE O (9p ET, CBS) — New. McGarrett must ask Aaron Wright (guest star Joey Lawrence) for help after just putting him away.

MARVEL’S INHUMANS (9p ET, ABC) — New. Black Bolt and Medusa reluctantly work with Louise.

DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition

THE EXORCIST (9p ET, FOX) — New.

JANE THE VIRGIN (9p ET, CW) — New

20/20 (10p ET, ABC) — New

BLUE BLOODS (10p ET, CBS) — New. Frank personally investigates when Garrett is attacked by a SWAT team outside his home.

SEASON PREMIERE: TRACEY ULLMAN’S SHOW (11p ET, HBO) — Tracey Ullman is back with new episodes for another season.

THE DAY I MET EL CHAPO: THE KATE DEL CASTILLO STORY (Netflix) — This new documentary tells the tale of Mexican actress Kate del Castillo’s curious encounter with the notorious drug lord.

SATURDAY

College football matchups here.

GEORGE MICHAEL: FREEDOM (9p ET, Showtime) — The pop superstar is remembered in this new documentary.

48 HOURS (10p ET, CBS) — New

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:29p ET, NBC) — Repeat. New episodes return Nov 4

TOO FUNNY TO FAIL (Hulu) — This new documentary features Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Louis C.K. and others involved in the making of the ill-fated sketch-comedy series The Dana Carvey Show.

SUNDAY

NFL Football schedule.

AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (8p ET, ABC) — New

THE WALKING DEAD (8p ET, AMC) — Before the season premiere, AMC presents the 7th season finale with new content including a bonus scene and cast interviews.

WISDOM OF THE CROWD (8:30p ET, CBS) — New

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8:30p ET, NBC) — The Patriots and Falcons meet for the first time since the Super Bowl.

SHARK TANK (9p ET, ABC) — Products featured in this new episode include a high-end photo booth makes all subjects look attractive, no-drill, no-hole curtain rod brackets, and a personal flotation device with multifunctional options.

SEASON PREMIERE: THE WALKING DEAD (9p ET, AMC) — The season 8 premiere is also the show’s 100th episode.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (9:30p ET, CBS) — New

TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY (10p ET, ABC) — New

MADAM SECRETARY (10:30p ET, CBS) — New

ENTERTAINMENT

IN THEATERS

• Only the Brave (PG-13) – Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters risk everything to protect a town from a historic wildfire. Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Andie MacDowell, Jeff Bridges, Taylor Kitsch
• Geostorm (PG-13) – When the network of satellites designed to control the global climate start to attack Earth, it’s a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone. Gerard Butler, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris, Andy Garcia
• Same Kind of Different as Me (PG-13) – International art dealer Ron Hall must befriend a dangerous homeless man in order to save his struggling marriage to his wife, a woman whose dreams will lead all three of them on the journey of their lives. Renée Zellweger, Jon Voight, Djimon Hounsou, Greg Kinnear, Olivia Holt
• The Snowman (R) – Detective Harry Hole investigates the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman. Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Chloë Sevigny, Val Kilmer, J.K. Simmons
• Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (PG-13) – Madea, Bam, and Hattie venture to a haunted campground and the group must run for their lives when monsters, goblins, and the boogeyman are unleashed. Tyler Perry

… Opening next weekend: Jigsaw, Suburbicon, Thank You for Your Service

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN TO VISIT DAUGHTER ON THE VIEW _ The View is giving new panelist Meghan McCain a birthday present on Monday. It’s a visit from her dad. The daytime talk show said Thursday that it has booked Sen. John McCain as a guest. Meghan turns 33 Monday.

DAVID SCHWIMMER PRAISED IN WAKE OF HARVEY WEINSTEIN SCANDAL _ David Schwimmer has been praised by a woman who interviewed him in 2011, noting how his sensitivity contrasted widely with the behavior of Harvey Weinstein. Nell Minow has spoken of her meeting with the Friends actor in 2011, when he was promoting a movie he directed. The restaurant they were due to speak in was noisy, and so Schwimmer hesitantly suggested going up to his room. Schwimmer said he could ask a third person to be present in the room.

… Minow recalls: “I haven’t thought of that since it happened but the Weinstein stories made me not just remember it but remember it in an entirely different context as an indicator of the prevalence of predatory behavior and as an indicator of Schwimmer’s integrity and sensitivity.”

… “This wasn’t just about his being a good guy who would not have tried anything. He understood what it is like to have to be constantly on the alert and he wanted to make sure I understood I was safe.”

FIRST LOOK AT MARGOT ROBBIE AS TONYA HARDING _ There are few tales of rivalries that are as infamous as that of ice skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Harding has become one of the most notorious figures in pop culture for her involvement in a physical attack on Kerrigan, one of her main competitors, before the 1994 Olympics. Now, Harding’s anti-hero story is being brought to the silver screen in a biopic titled I, Tonya — and the trailer reveals it could be a juicy watch. The film stars Margot Robbie as Harding. It’s in theaters December 8. • VIDEO

JIM & ANDY: THE GREAT BEYOND OFFICIAL TRAILER _ Netflix just released the first look at Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, an upcoming documentary that gives a behind-the-scenes look at Jim Carrey’s critically acclaimed performance of Andy Kaufman in the 1999 film Man on the Moon. The film premieres on Netflix on November 17. In 1999, Carrey portrayed his idol Andy Kaufman — for twenty years, the behind-the-scenes footage has been withheld… until now. • VIDEO

NFL RATINGS ARE DOWN, BUT… _ Turns out the NFL’s ratings may have nothing to do with players taking a knee during the national anthem. A study of TV ratings shows while pro football ratings are down, the decline is small when considering the general overall fall in television viewership due to people dropping their cable packages.

THOR: RAGNAROK EARNS STELLAR ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE _ Official critic reviews are rolling in for Thor: Ragnarok, and it looks like the third God of Thunder flick is going to be the best yet. Rotten Tomatoes is currently ranking the Marvel film in the high 90s.

… Thor: The Dark World and the original film earned a 66 and 77 respectively on the Tomatometer.

… CinemaBlend is giving the third film in the Norse trilogy four out of five stars, calling Ragnarok “one of the most entertaining” films in Marvel’s lineup.

QUENTIN TARANTINO’S CONNECTED TO A HARVEY WEINSTEIN INCIDENT _ Quentin Tarantino has spoken out against his longtime producer Harvey Weinstein. In an interview published by The New York Times on Thursday, the Pulp Fiction director admitted that he knew about some of the sexual assault allegations leveled against Weinstein long before the producer became embroiled in the recent controversy. He revealed to the paper that his ex-girlfriend Mira Sorvino had once told him about her alleged incident with the movie mogul — and that he also knew about the settlement Weinstein had reportedly reached with Rose McGowan.

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN JOHNSON TRAILER _ Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme is heading to Amazon for a new action comedy series. Jean-Claude Van Johnson stars JCVD as a version of himself that takes acting gigs as a cover for his real job as an undercover operative. After the brief teaser trailer that hit last week, a full trailer is here that reveals a lot more of the show’s story and gives a far better sense of the goofy, self-effacing tone they’re going for with the show. • VIDEO

DAVID BLAINE DENIES RAPE ALLEGATIONS _ David Blaine is denying a British former model’s accusations that he allegedly raped her. The Daily Beast reported on Thursday that Natasha Prince says the magician raped her at a private home in London in 2004, when she was 21 years old. No charges have been filed in connection with the allegation.

KIRSTEN DUNST WINS THE INTERNET WITH ONE-WORD RESPONSE TO FAN _ Kirsten Dunst made one lucky fan’s day on Thursday. Louis Virtel tweeted: “I’d say my biggest dream is telling Kirsten Dunst I’m a huge fan only for her to mutter ‘Pathetic’ and walk away.” Kirsten’s response: “Pathetic”.

SHIA LABEOUF SENTENCED TO ANGER MANAGEMENT _ Shia LaBeouf has reached a plea agreement stemming from his arrest in Georgia earlier this year, agreeing to undergo anger management counseling, as well as 30 days of mandatory drug counseling. The actor was also placed on 12 months’ probation on Thursday, and was ordered to undergo drug and alcohol evaluation and to perform 100 hours of community service. LaBeouf was arrested in July in Savannah, Georgia. Video of his arrest showed the actor telling a police officer that he was going to hell because he’s black.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• DROPS: Contest clips package.

• PHONER: What are you afraid of? → 4 real calls!

• DROP: Sounds so dull, and the more you say it the duller it gets.

MORE PREP IN THE FACEBOOK GROUP

BITS & BREAKS

THE SCARIEST THINGS ABOUT EATING CANDY CORN

Just in time to suck joy out of everyone’s second favorite Halloween treat (chocolate tops all, obviously), Charles Platkin, PhD, executive director of the New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College and editor of DietDetective.com, recently assessed candy corn’s ingredients. Here are the scariest facts:

• Candy corn contains 12 ingredients. Contrary to popular opinion that candy corn is all sugar, the candy is actually made up of a dozen ingredients: Four different kinds of sweeteners, including sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, and honey, but also the food dyes Yellow 6, Yellow 5, and Red 3, lab-made ingredients that are often vilified for questionable side effects.

• Candy corn’s colors could be carcinogenic. While Yellow 6 is FDA-approved, it’s been found to cause tumors in animal testing, according to a report on the risks of food dyes published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Both Yellow 6 and Yellow 5 also run the risk of being contaminated by cancer-causing substances or chemicals that can become cancer-causing once they enter the body — something that’s definitely not written on the package.

• One of candy corn’s ingredients can trigger itching and hives. While approved for use in the U.S., the coloring Yellow 5 has been linked to rare but sometimes severe allergic reactions, an outcome that could be linked to those impurities it picks up in manufacturing, according to the CSPI report. Because the ingredient adds nothing to food besides making it look prettier, consuming the ingredient could be considered an unnecessary risk.

• One of its ingredients can make kids go bonkers. Yellow 5, gotta love it: The CSPI report also warns that this coloring can trigger hyperactivity in children, with enough research completed back in 2012 to convince researchers that evidence of a link between artificial food coloring and children’s behavior “too substantial to dismiss.” As if the sugar high kids get from candy corn isn’t enough to spook parents — particularly on Halloween.

• It provides approximately zero nutritional value. Although 19 candies serve up 140 calories (that’s 7.5 calories per kernel, and all carbs), the only trace of nutrients come from the candy’s sesame oil, which happens to be high in vitamin E.

• It contains traces of animal hides and bones. Candy corn is made with gelatin, a protein made from animal sources. (So no, it’s not remotely vegetarian.)

• The candy’s hard outer coating comes from bugs. Candy corn’s firm, smooth coating is listed as confectioner’s glaze on the ingredient label, but the stuff is also known as lac-resin, a coating that comes straight from lac bugs, bright red insects that are found in Asia.

• Its shelf life is freakishly long. Sugar itself is a natural preservative that can prolong a food’s shelf life. But candy corn also contains 70 milligrams of salt, another preservative that could help explain why an open bag of candy corn can last up to six months.

• There’s nothing natural about candy corn’s flavor. Artificial flavoring is responsible for candy corn’s taste. One reason why that taste is so hard to describe (Waxy? Sweet?) could be that “artificial flavoring” can include any of the 700 additives permitted by the FDA, or the 2,000 other chemicals that aren’t directly regulated by the FDA, but sanctioned by the food industry, according to Platkin.

WORST ITEMS YOU CAN PASS OUT TO TRICK-OR-TREATERS

According to a survey, the worst things you can pass out are…

5. Sugar-free candy

4. Fruit, like apples and oranges

3. Small boxes of raisins

2. Toothbrushes

1. Pennies

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: 80% of snake bite victims get bitten how? (After harassing the snake)

ANSWER WRONG AND WIN

• What magazine did Hugh Hefner found?

• What color is a ruby?

• Where do you wear a beret?

• What type of food makes Popeye strong?

COUNTRY SONG OR NOT

I’ll give you a song title, you tell me if it’s a real country song.

• Don’t Give Me A Plastic Saddle ‘Cuz I Want To Feel That Leather When I Ride (song)

• She Got The Ring And I Got The Finger (song)

• I’m Almost Over You, Why Won’t You Get Over Me (not)

• The Heart That Got Away (not)

• I Keep Forgettin’ I Forgot About You (song)

• What Kind Of Lesson Are You Trying To Teach Me Now? (not)

• I’ve Got $5 And It’s Saturday Night (song)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Amazing.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

A lesson in photography.

source: unknown

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 20, 2017

• 1951: HANK WILLIAMS signed a movie contract with MGM.

• 1962: LEROY VAN DYKE joined the Grand Ole Opry.

• 1967: The first Country Music Association Awards were held. The show was hosted by SONNY JAMES and BOBBIE GENTRY.

• 1992: KENNY ROGERS was sued by an aspiring actress who claimed he’d agreed to help her career in exchange for sexual favors.

• 2005: GARY ALLAN enjoyed his best first-week sales when Tough All Over debuted at No. 1 on the Country Albums chart.

• 2005: SUGARLAND’s music video for Just Might Make Me Believe debuted on CMT.

• 2009: TIM MCGRAW’s album Southern Voice was released.

• 2013 Kelly Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock.

• 2015: BRAD PAISLEY was a guest advisor as BLAKE SHELTON had a pair of contestants perform I’m That Kind Of Girl on The Voice.

CLINT BLACK and Lisa Hartman-Black celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary.

Jimi Westbrook of LITTLE BIG TOWN is 46.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• THOMAS RHETT is enjoying the ride.

• SCOTTY McCREERY performs the national anthem.

• JAKE OWEN remembers playing golf at an early age.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

JASON ALDEAN’s Annual Concert For The Cure is tonight (Friday) in Louisville. Each year Jason designates one stop on his tour, donating proceeds from that show to breast cancer awareness and research.

Deep From The Heart: The One America Appeal, a benefit concert for victims of the recent hurricanes, is Saturday (October 21) on the campus of Texas A&M University. Performers will include ALABAMA, LEE GREENWOOD, CASSADEE POPE, THE GATLIN BROTHERS, STEPHANIE QUAYLE, Sam Moore, Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett. The fundraiser was organized by the five living past U.S. Presidents: George H.W. Bush; George W. Bush; Barrack Obama; Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

DOLLY PARTON made a contribution yesterday (Thursday) to the One America Appeal, started by former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Barrack Obama, to aid in relief efforts for those impacted by hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria. In addition, Dolly and her Imagination Library are donating 500,000 books to hurricane survivors and covering the shipping cost to get the books into the hands of those kids and their educators.

PARMALEE will launch the Hotdamalama Tour November 3 in Pennsylvania.

NEW AND OUT TODAY

CHRIS YOUNG’s Losing Sleep. While he tried to stay true to his traditional sound, Chris says this album shows more growth.

DARIUS RUCKER’s When Was The Last Time.

THE WEEK’S TOP SINGLES

KANE BROWN Featuring LAUREN ALAINA – What If’s
LUKE COMBS – When It Rains It Pours
THOMAS RHETT – Unforgettable
DUSTIN LYNCH – Small Town Boy
KIP MOORE – More Girls Like You
KENNY CHESNEY – All The Pretty Girls
CARLY PEARCE – Every Little Thing
CHRIS JANSON – Fix A Drink
JASON ALDEAN – They Don’t Know
LANCO – Greatest Love Story

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 23, 2017

This is day 296 of 2017. There are 69 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Former soccer player Pelé is 77

• Director Ang Lee is 63

• TV talker Nancy Grace is 59

• Weird Al Yankovic is 58

• Former NFL player Doug Flutie is 55

• Neurosurgeon and TV journalist Sanjay Gupta is 48

• Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance) is 41

• Ryan Reynolds is 41

• Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) is 31

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1915: Some 25,000 women marched in New York City demanding the right to vote.

• 1925: Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa.

• 1958: The Smurfs appeared for the first time.

• 1998: A Danish man said goodbye to his 86-year-old father by taking his corpse for a motorcycle ride, and stopping at a bar for a beer and a cigar. Flemming Pedersen asked to be left alone with his dad, dressed the corpse in leather, a helmet, boots, and dark glasses, strapped it to his Harley-Davidson, and rode around Copenhagen for three hours to his father’s favorite places. He said he felt good about the ride.

• 2001: Apple unveiled the iPod. It officially went on sale on November 10, 2001, for $399.

• 2002: Gunmen seized a crowded Moscow theater, taking hundreds hostage and threatening to kill them unless the Russian army pulled out of Chechnya.

• 2006: Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced by a federal judge in Houston to 24 years, four months for his role in the company’s collapse.

• 2005: Near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Laatsch called police to report that a deer in her yard had a pumpkin stuck on its head. It turned out the deer had a large brown or gold plastic ball stuck on its head, a lawn ornament or possibly a Halloween decoration.

• 2010: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project estimated 1 in 3 adult Americans will have diabetes by 2050.

• 2014: Craig Spencer was diagnosed with Ebola after recently returning to New York from Sierra Leone. Spencer rode the subway, went bowling, and took a taxi the day before he began displaying symptoms.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Lung Health Day

• TV Talk Show Host Day

• Boston Cream Pie Day

UPCOMING

INTERPREP ★ SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

This is day 270 of 2017. There are 95 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Wilford Brimley is 83

• Meat Loaf is 70

• Shaun Cassidy is 59

• Comedian Marc Maron is 54

• Gwyneth Paltrow is 45

• Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia) is 43

• Lil’ Wayne is 35

• Avril Lavigne is 33

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1950: The answering machine was invented.

• 1954: The nationwide debut of Tonight! (The Tonight Show) hosted by Steve Allen on NBC.

• 1964: The Warren Commission released its report concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

• 1968: The stage musical Hair opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, where it played 1,998 performances until its closure was forced by the roof’s collapsing in July 1973.

• 1995: The Government of the United States unveiled the first of its redesigned bank notes with the $100 bill featuring a larger portrait of Benjamin Franklin slightly off-center.

• 1998: Google was founded.

• 1998: St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire’s record-breaking season ended with his 69th and 70th home runs.

• 2003: A Brazilian prisoner who tried to escape from Sao Paulo prison while dressed as a woman was caught because he couldn’t walk in high heels. Guards said the man looked like a beautiful woman but waddled like a duck.

• 2004: NBC announced that Conan O’Brien would take over for Jay Leno The Tonight Show in 2009.

• 2015: A “Supermoon” coincided with a lunar eclipse creating a “Blood Moon” over much of the earth.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Ancestor Appreciation Day

• Women’s Health & Fitness Day

• Woman Road Warrior Day. A day to honor women who travel for business.

• Chocolate Milk Day

UPCOMING

• October 3: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)

• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends

• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)

• December 21: First day of winter

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

22.7: Length of time, in months, the average smartphone owner keeps their phone before upgrading.

NEWS ATTACK!

The new French airline Joon has been created specifically to attract millennials. For example, it has virtual reality headsets. [That way you can buy a ticket for coach but virtually travel in first class.]

Fans of the New England Patriots were upset after regular tap water was sold for $4.50 to $5 per cup. [Because it’s perfectly okay for people at a football game to get upset about concession prices but not about inequality.]

A groom posing for wedding pictures on a bridge in Ontario jumped into a pond in his tuxedo in order to save a little boy. [Hey, you’ve already won the girl. You don’t have to impress her anymore.]

A group of conservative Catholic authorities have officially accused Pope Francis of heresy. [They don’t like that he took a knee during Mass.]

Missouri prisons have been ordered to eliminate smoking due to the health risks it presents. [But what if you’re already on death row?]

Missouri prisons have been ordered to eliminate smoking due to the health risks it presents. [In a place with open toilets people might be thankful for the smell of burning tobacco leaves.]

Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle made their first public appearance the other day as an official couple. They were holding hands. [You can tell a couple is dating because they hold hands. If they weren’t holding hands, people would think that they were married.]

Meghan Kelly is being criticized for asking a man if it was true that he became gay because he was such a big fan of Will and Grace. [I know I became a lousy dancer because I was such a huge fan of Elaine on Seinfeld.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

BOEING IS GIVING $2 MILLION TO ANYONE WHO CAN MAKE A JETPACK _ Flying cars, self-driving vehicles and hyperloops are right around the corner, but what about everyone’s favorite sci-fi gadget: jetpacks? Don’t worry, Boeing’s got you covered. The company announced Tuesday that it will sponsor an epic jetpack “fly-off” competition sometime in Autumn 2019 with a winning prize of $2 million.

… The GoFly Prize, a two-year global competition, was established to encourage the creation of a “personal flight device” that can carry a passenger 20 miles without running low on fuel or battery. The rules ask that the device is “safe, useful, and thrilling.” Any form of transportation is eligible as long as it meets safety requirements. According to its official registration page, GoFly is looking for, “an ‘everyone’ personal flying device, capable of being flown by ANYONE, ANYWHERE. It should be a device for ALL: young and old, city-dweller and country-dweller, expert and novice.”

US NAVY IS ADDING XBOX CONTROLLERS _ The U.S. Navy plans to equip its Virginia-class submarines with Xbox 360 controllers, which will control the ship’s periscopes. The joystick now used, along with its corresponding control panel developed by Lockheed Martin, cost about $38,000. An Xbox 360 controller, meanwhile, goes for about $30 and can be purchased just about anywhere that carries toys.

… While the popular image of a periscope is a long, rotating tube with eye holes that sailors look into to see what’s going on above the water, the Virginia-class periscopes are much more complicated. They feature two masts equipped with digital cameras. These are controlled by a helicopter-style joystick from a control room on the submarine, where large monitors display the images captured by the cameras.

… Feedback from junior officers revealed that the current controller is clunky and heavy.

PENNSYLVANIA FIRE CHIEF CALLS COACH MIKE TOMLIN THE N-WORD _ A Pennsylvania volunteer fire chief is under fire for hurling a racial epithet at Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after his team chose to stay in the locker room during the national anthem on Sunday. Fire Chief Paul Smith, who leads Cecil Township Volunteer Fire Station #2, made a post on Facebook stating that Tomlin “just added himself to the list of no-good n*****s” after the team’s game on Sunday. Smith’s comment crossed the line for many fellow firefighters and residents of the small community near Pittsburgh. Smith apologized when reached by a local TV station, although he did not apologize to Tomlin.

TEENS AT LOOKOUT PLUNGE DOWN CLIFF _ A pair of teens who plummeted 60 feet over an Australian cliff miraculously escaped serious injuries. Police say the 17-year-old driver and his 16-year-old female passenger were lucky to walk away with minor cuts and bruises after their 4WD rolled off the cliff and fell onto rocks. The 17-year-old went to drive away from the overlook Monday night when he crashed through a barrier instead.

TWITTER TESTING 280 CHARACTER TWEETS _ Twitter is testing a new feature that will double the character limit of tweets — which means you may soon have 280 characters to play with. According to Twitter, it made the changes to address the frustration most people have with trying to fit their thoughts into a 140-character limit. About 9 percent of tweets (in English) hit the limit. A company spokesperson said: “We understand since many of you have been Tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters — we felt it, too. But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint.”

… Twitter is currently testing the new limit out with a small group, though it may roll the feature out to everyone if there’s positive reception.

DYSON PLANS TO SELL ELECTRIC CAR BY 2020 _ Dyson, the company known for making vacuum cleaners and other appliances, plans to sell a much bigger type of electric product by 2020: a car. Founder James Dyson wrote an email Tuesday to staff that the British-based company has been developing a “radically different” battery-powered electric vehicle with a team of 400 people. The 70-year-old Dyson, who is worth $4.5 billion, said his company is investing $1.34 billion in the project. He revealed no car details or how much it will cost but predicted electric vehicles would become the company’s largest source of revenue.

NAPPING VETERAN CAN’T SMELL HOUSE FIRE BUT SERVICE DOG DOES _ While many of us have dogs at home who provide both comfort and companionship, we may underestimate the value of service dogs. They are trained to help those in need, often according to very specific needs. Tony Damato is an Ohio Vietnam War veteran, and his service dog, Bella, is constantly by his side. He has a number of health issues and Bella has been there for him in times of need. With his wife and daughter away, Tony fell asleep. He napped for about an hour, unable to smell smoke filling his house — and only woke up when Bella jumped on him. Tony then saw the smoke and was able to get out of the house in time. But Bella was still stuck inside. Firefighters had to fetch her from inside the house. She had inhaled a lot of smoke. Both the service dog and her owner were taken to hospitals for treatment.

POLICE OFFICERS THROW RETIREMENT PARTY FOR HORSE _ If you were having a party tomorrow and could have any kind of cake, what would you chose? Vanilla? Chocolate? Ice cream? How about hay-flavored? That’s what police officers with the Omaha Police Department chose for for their colleague’s retirement party. That colleague is a horse, who was very happy with his tasty surprise. Blaze the horse has been with the Omaha Police Department since 2014 and when it came time for him to retire, officers in the department knew they had to do something special to thank Blaze for everything he’d done. So they threw him a retirement party complete with a custom-made hay cake, decorated with the horse’s favorite fruits and vegetables.

SAUDI ARABIA AGREES TO LET WOMEN DRIVE _ Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that it would allow women to drive, ending a longstanding policy that has become a global symbol of the repression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom. The change will take effect in June of next year. Saudi leaders also hope the new policy will help the economy by increasing women’s participation in the workplace. Many working Saudi women spend much of their salaries on drivers or must be driven to work by male relatives.

JOGGER CALLED ‘MAD POOPER’ MIGHT HAVE A BRAIN INJURY? _ It’s not a Colorado jogger’s fault she’s pooping on people’s lawns — because she suffered a traumatic brain injury, and now simply can’t control where she does her business — according to a man who claimed to be “a family representative.” In a YouTube video — now removed — the unidentified man says the Colorado Springs Mad Pooper would like to apologize for her actions. The man claimed in the video that her bathroom behavior is similar to breastfeeding in public and is protected under the First Amendment.

… But a criminal defense attorney said the man is full of it. Attorney Jeremy Loew said, “Defecating in someone’s yard is definitely not protected under the First Amendment and it is actually a crime.” The woman could actually be charged with indecent exposure, which might land her in the sex offender registry. The jogger has been pooping outside the Colorado Springs home of Cathy Budde at least once a week and cops have been trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.

… The supposed spokesman, who also claimed the woman underwent gender reassignment surgery, refused to provide any verification that he is representing the defecator’s family.

WOMAN’S DETAILED GROCERY LIST LEAVES LITTLE ROOM FOR ERROR _ Twitter user Era Golwalkar gained attention online this week when a grocery list she made for her husband went viral. Golwalkar’s list had very explicit instructions, leaving her husband little room to mess up the shopping. List items such as potatoes and onions came with illustrations drawn by Golwalkar so her husband knew exactly what she was looking for. She even specified colors and condition. • IMAGE

MAN REMOVES NAZI SWASTIKA TATTOOS AFTER UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP _ Colorado resident Michael Kent recently sat down at a tattoo parlor in Colorado Springs to have his swastikas covered up. Kent, a former neo-Nazi, credits an African-American parole officer named Tiffany Whittier with helping him to see beyond skin color and changing his views about white supremacy. Whittier even inspired Kent, who’s 38, to take down the Nazi flags he had hanging in his living room and replace them with smiley faces. Whittier said, “I’m not here to judge him. That’s not my job to judge. My job is to be that positive person in someone’s life.” Kent said, “When you wake up and see a smiley face, you’re going to go to work and you’re going to smile.”

… Redemption Ink, a national non-profit that offers free removals of hate-related tattoos, helped connect Kent with Fallen Heroes Tattoo in Colorado to begin the 15-hour process of covering his swastikas.

ORANGE JUICE PRICES MAY SOON SHOCK YOU _ You may live a long way from the devastation of Hurricane Irma, but if you buy orange juice, you’ll be feeling the effect at the supermarket checkout counter. Orange juice drinkers may pay as much as $2.30 more for a gallon of orange juice as the result of broad swatch that Irma cut through Florida’s citrus crop. Just how high OJ prices rise depends on whether Brazil can increase its exports to the U.S. to help cover the shortfall. The Florida Department of Citrus estimates that 30% to 70% of the Sunshine State’s crop was destroyed.

COUPLE WILL MARRY AT COSTCO _ An Australian (Sydney) couple are tying the knot this weekend at their favorite place in the world — Costco. Sue Berkeley will walk down the aisle to husband-to-be Eli Bob on Saturday. Sue says, “I get to go to Costco on my wedding day, it’s just awesome. Where else can I get married to the one I love, in the place that I love, surrounded by the people I love?” When the couple became engaged recently, they realized their shared a passion for the discount superstore. They decided that because they visited four days a week, it might as well be the venue for their big day — and the reception.

… Sue is excited that she’ll be able to serve each guest for under $10: pizzas, hot dogs and unlimited soft drinks.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: 60% OF BRIDES ANNOUNCE ENGAGEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN 24 HOURS _ Pop quiz: A survey (by TheKnot.com) says 60% of brides do this within 24 hours of becoming engaged. The answer: announce the engagement on social media. In all, 86% of brides said they announced their engagement on social media within the first week.

… Once engaged, 62% of brides said they increased their social media use, with seven out of 10 saying they used social media for wedding planning “more than anything else.” The survey showed that the top three social sites used during wedding planning were Pinterest (89 percent of respondents), Instagram (38 percent) and Facebook (38 percent).

… 66% of couples plan on using or have used a personalized hashtag for their weddings.

… On their wedding day 74% of couples said they wanted to be “disconnected from social media.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN NABBED FOR TRYING TO STEAL CAR — WITH COPS INSIDE _ A would-be car thief in Japan was nabbed after he tried to steal a vehicle — with several police officers inside. The man was caught red-handed trying to make off with the unmarked police car. It was dark and the would-be car thief didn’t notice the officers inside the unlocked vehicle.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SCARY CLOWN MAKES DELIVERIES FOR TEXAS DOUGHNUT SHOP _ A Texas doughnut shop employed the help of a scary clown to make deliveries for customers looking to creep out their friends or loved ones. Hurts Donut shop shared photos of the menacing clown, reminiscent of Pennywise from Stephen King’s It, who would be delivering doughnuts for two days of early Halloween mischief. Hurts wrote on its Facebook page: “Scary Clown Deliveries available next Monday and Tuesday in Frisco [Texas]! Who did something rotten to you that totally deserves this?”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: AN APOLOGY NOTE, TWO $20 BILLS, AND HALF A JOINT _ A Denver woman came out to her car after work and found an envelope stuck on her car’s left side mirror. In the envelope she found a rolled up baggie. Inside the baggie was a note, $40 cash and half a joint. The note read: “Hey I am very sorry truley. I am such a dumba**. Please forgive me. Sorry 4 the scratch man.” She said she will use the $40 to see if she can buff out the scratch. And the half a joint? She says, “I’m not a smoker. I’m a runner. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLICE BUST DRIVER USING PLASTIC STOOL AS FRONT SEAT _ A man in China was fined for driving a car without a windshield and using a plastic stool as a front seat.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN USES WINNING LOTTERY TICKET AS A BOOK MARK _ A woman in the UK used her winning lotto ticket as a book mark and forgot about it. A week later, as she was checking another lottery ticket, she remember the one tucked in her book. It turned out to be a winner worth $50,000.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: YELLING MAN DRAW ATTENTION TO HIS POT PLANTS _ In Pennsylvania neighbors complained to the police that a guy was shouting obscenities in his back yard. When police arrived they found him cursing up a storm… at his marijuana plants. He was arrested.

ON TELEVISION

SEASON PREMIERE: SURVIVOR (8p ET, CBS) — The theme for season 35 is “Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”. The Heroes are identified based on their high achievements along with their courage; The Healers are good-hearted, compassionate people, while the Hustlers are go-getters and hard workers.

SEASON PREMIERE: THE BLACKLIST (8p ET, NBC) — In season 5, Raymond Reddington (James Spader) returns to build a fresh, new criminal enterprise with the help of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), but she may be forced to choose whether to be loyal to her father, Red, or her job at the FBI.

SEASON PREMIERE: THE GOLDBERGS (8p ET, ABC) — As season 5 begins, Beverly and Murray move Erica into her dorm.

SEASON PREMIERE: EMPIRE (8p ET, FOX) — In the season 4 premiere, Lucious (Terrence Howard) makes his first appearance since the explosion in Las Vegas, but still has no memory of his family, Empire or his life before the accident. Demi Moore, Phylicia Rashad, and Queen Latifah guest star.

ARROW (8p ET, CW) — Repeat

SEASON PREMIERE: SPEECHLESS (8:30p ET, ABC) — Season 2 begins as JJ (Micah Fowler) returns from his first summer camp trip.

SERIES PREMIERE: SEAL TEAM (9p ET, CBS) — David Boreanaz (Bones) stars in this new action drama about the lives in and out of the field of an elite Navy SEAL unit. Jessica Paré (Mad Men) and Neil Brown Jr. (The Walking Dead) also star.

SEASON PREMIERE: MODERN FAMILY (9p ET, ABC) — Jay forces the family to take their vacation on a houseboat on a lake in the season 9 premiere. Kyle Bornheimer guest stars.

SEASON PREMIERE: LAW & ORDER: SVU (9p ET, NBC) — Season 19 begins with shocking allegations against Benson (Mariska Hargitay) that lead to the return of an old friend. Dean Winters, Peter Jacobson, Will Chase, and Amy Smart guest star.

SEASON PREMIERE: STAR (9p ET, FOX) — The 2nd season premiere continues a crossover with the season premiere of Empire.

SUPERNATURAL (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

SEASON PREMIERE: AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE (9:30p ET, ABC) — Season 2 begins

SEASON PREMIERE: CHICAGO P.D. (10p ET, NBC) — Tension erupts in the season 5 premiere when Chief Lugo (guest star Esai Morales) brings in Denny Woods (guest star Mykelti Williamson) to review the shootout. Jon Seda returns to the show, and Tracy Spiridakos joins the cast.

SEASON PREMIERE: CRIMINAL MINDS (10p ET, CBS) — Season 13 begins right after the events of the finale. Daniel Henney (Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders) joins the cast.

SEASON PREMIERE: DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (10p ET, ABC) — Season 2 finds President Kirkman, a year into office, determined to rebuild the Capitol.

SERIES PREMIERE: LIAR (10p ET, Sundance TV) — Ioan Gruffudd and Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) star in this six-part psychological thriller as a teacher and surgeon, respectively, whose seemingly innocent date turns into a series of volatile accusations. Secrets and lies slowly unravel until the truth ultimately reveals itself.

ENTERTAINMENT

FIXER UPPER HOSTS ARE ENDING HIT SHOW _ Fixer Upper is about to start its fifth season, and the HGTV hosts announced Tuesday that it will also be their last. The Chip and Joanna show has become a mega-hit, consistently pulling in some of the highest ratings for the network. Season No. 5 starts in November.

… The couple doesn’t specify what’s next, but they now run a mini-empire that includes a furniture line, a real estate company, and a sprawling market in Waco, Texas.

GAME OF THRONES LOVERS ENGAGED IN REAL LIFE _ Jon Snow and Ygritte are engaged, or at least their real-life counterparts Kit Harington and Rose Leslie are. The Game of Thrones stars have been dating on and off for five years and now they’re tying the knot. In 2014, Leslie told People she and Harington actually knew each other before they both ended up on GoT.

DEBRA MESSING ‘DISMAYED’ BY MEGYN KELLY’S WILL & GRACE INTERVIEW _ Debra Messing responded to criticism over her appearance on the Monday premiere of Megyn Kelly Today, saying she regrets going on the show because of some of host’s comments about a Will & Grace super-fan in the audience. At issue was a moment when the former Fox News star jokingly asked a Will & Grace fan named Russell Turner if he “became” gay because of the show. She asked, “Is it true that you became a lawyer, and you became gay, because of Will?” Turner responded, “I look at Will Truman, I’m like, ‘He has it made’: lawyer, best apartment in New York City, and gay? Come on, trifecta.”

… But one of Messing’s Instagram fans called the segment on the Kelly’s daytime show debut a “fail”. Messing said on Instagram: “Honestly I didn’t know it was [Megyn Kelly] until that morning. The itinerary just said Today Show appearance. Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments.”

BOB NEWHART RETURNS TO THE BIG BANG THEORY IN SEASON 11 _ Bob Newhart is returning as the late Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton in The Big Bang Theory season 11. The show just returned for its eleventh season this week and will continue to air on Mondays until it moves to its regular slot on Thursdays on November 2. Bob Newhart will reprise the role in the November 2 episode. The last time he appeared on the show was in season 9.

MAN IN TAYLOR SWIFT STALKING CASE FOUND UNFIT TO STAND TRIAL _ There’s been an update in case of the man who was arrested for stalking and burglary inside Taylor Swift ‘s apartment. Back in March 2017 Mohammed Jaffar was arrested in Swift’s New York City building for burglary, stalking and trespassing. After the arrest Jaffar was held on $20,000 bail and the judge signed off on an order of protection against him. The protection orders no contact with Swift. According to the criminal complaint, Jaffar allegedly wanted to meet with Swift and had previously tried to get in touch with her on multiple occasions.

… Now, the New York District Attorney’s office says the case was called this week and the defendant was found unfit to stand trial, then placed in the custody of the New York State Office of Mental Health.

PARAMOUNT NETWORK RELEASES FIRST TRAILER FOR WACO MINISERIES _ Paramount Network premiered the trailer for the six-part miniseries Waco. The show stars Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, John Leguizamo, Rory Culkin, Melissa Benoist and Camryn Manheim and tells the true story of the 1993 standoff between the FBI, ATF, and David Koresh’s spiritual sect in Waco, Texas, that resulted in a deadly shootout and fire. The show comes to the Paramount Network in January.

KHLOE KARDASHIAN IS PREGNANT _ The Kardashian family can’t stop, won’t stop getting bigger. Khloe Kardashian is pregnant and expecting her first child with boyfriend Tristan Thompson. The 33-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and the 26-year-old basketball player began dating a year ago after meeting on a blind date set up by a friend in September 2016.

… The pregnancy news comes just days after reports surfaced that Khloe’s 20-year-old sister Kylie Jenner is pregnant with Travis Scott’s child.

JOHN TRAVOLTA IN OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR CRIME BIOPIC GOTTI _ The first trailer for a new crime thriller titled Gotti has come out. The movie will span three decades telling the story of legendary crime boss John Gotti Sr., as played by John Travolta. The story focuses on Gotti’s rise to power in New York City, as well as his wife Victoria Gotti, played by Kelly Preston. • VIDEO

AVATAR SEQUELS BEGIN FILMING, WILL COST OVER $1 BILLION _ James Cameron is determined now more than ever to make those multiple Avatar sequels. While the first film was undeniably a box office juggernaut, taking in almost $2.8 billion, people aren’t exactly chomping at the bit for a sequel. But James Cameron soldiers on and filming on the four consecutive Avatar sequels began this week with an estimated price tag of over $1 billion.

… The sequel release dates are December 18, 2020 for Avatar 2, December 17, 2021 for Avatar 3, December 20, 2024 for Avatar 4, and December 19, 2025 for Avatar 5.

TOP TV SHOWS _ Week of September 18-24.

NFL Football: Oakland at Washington, NBC, 17.48 million
America’s Got Talent (Wednesday), NBC, 15.64 million
60 Minutes, CBS, 14.83 million
America’s Got Talent (Tuesday), NBC, 14.7 million
Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC, 13.78 million
NFL Football: Detroit at N.Y. Giants, ESPN, 12.29 million
Dancing With the Stars, ABC, 10.72 million
Football Night in America, Part 3, NBC, 10.62 million
Star Trek: Discovery, CBS, 9.49 million
NFL Football: L.A. Chargers at San Francisco, NFLN, 7.46 million
The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 7.16 million
Big Brother (Wednesday), CBS, 6.72 million
NCIS, CBS, 6.6 million
The Big Bang Theory (Thursday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 6.1 million
The Big Bang Theory (Monday, 8 p.m.), CBS, 5.97 million
American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 5.959 million
Mom, CBS, 5.957 million
NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 5.65 million
Bull, CBS, 5.55 million
NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 5.29 million

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• CHIP AND JOANNA: The Fixer Upper couple will call it quits after season 5, which begins in November.

• INTERNSHIP: Dawayne was asked for a supplement to his internship application and made a video.

• VELCRO: Velcro “lawyers” want us to stop calling everything velcro.

SHARE AND WIN $ IN THE FACEBOOK GROUP

BITS & BREAKS

THE ESSENTIALS YOU MUST KEEP IN AN EMERGENCY BACKPACK

Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires… by now you should know it’s a very good idea to have a “go bag” ready in case you have to flee your home in a hurry. BuzzFeed says these are the essentials we must keep in an emergency backpack.

Agree or disagree with any of these? Anything missing?

Cereal and chocolate bars.
An extra change of clothes.
A sleeping mat and a light blanket.
Toilet paper, notebook and pen.
A copy of your keys.
A lighter, candles, and battery-powered flashlight.
Plastic bags and latex gloves.
A small first-aid kit.
A battery-powered radio.
A whistle.
Packing tape.
A water bottle.
Bonus tip: Scan and print out a copy of your family’s important documents, just in case!

STUDY REVEALS TOP 5 SIDE GIGS FOR MAKING THE MOST MONEY

Last month a study (Bankrate.com) revealed those with side gigs are making, on average, an extra $9,948 a year. A follow-up study looked at data of tens of thousands of loan applicants and found the most profitable side gigs. Ranked by the average monthly income, here are the top five:

1. Airbnb – The average monthly income for Airbnb hosts was $924, making it the most profitable side gig on the list.

2. TaskRabbit – It’s an online marketplace that matches freelancers to local demand. For example, if you need a logo made for your website, find a designer on TaskRabbit. Or if you need your lawn mowed, search TaskRabbit. TaskRabbit members make, on average, $380 a month.

3. Lyft – The average Lyft driver pockets $377 a month. This is just an average as some make more.

4. Uber – Uber comes in closely behind its competitor. The average Uber driver makes $364 a month.

5. DoorDash – DoorDash is an on-demand food delivery service that’s located in more than 300 cities. The average “Dasher” makes $229 a month.

THREE WAYS TO BOOST WILLPOWER

You CAN boost your willpower — if you practice. Here are 3 ways, from Shape magazine:

• Visualize. Athletes do it. So do musicians and actors. So, imagine yourself taking out a box of cookies, not eating them, and then putting the box back in the cupboard. Experts say if you can’t imagine something, the chances you can actually do it are pretty slim.

• Get face-to-face with your weakness, and focus on reacting in a different way. For example, instead of ordering a sinful dessert, just have coffee. If you start passing up dessert, or chips and salsa from time to time, you’ll find it becomes easier and easier to say ‘no.’

• Do a taste test. Order a reasonable dessert, but share it with the table, and limit yourself to a couple of bites. You’ll know you’re winning your battle with temptation when you can have a few bites, and push it away. A great way to have your cake and eat it, too.

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Every week 1,100 Americans move where? (Into the U.S. prison system)

ANSWER WRONG AND WIN

• Name a sport in which the players where helmets.

• You place this under a computer mouse to help it move more smoothly.

• Where is the Great Wall of China located?

• Name the garden fruit that gives pumpkin spice lattes their flavor?

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Will you be using this video?
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Guy smashing store window gets hit with karma.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

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Binge watching Fuller Meouwse.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZkJ50hFhp/

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

• 1963: The National Life And Accident Insurance Company bought the Ryman Auditorium for $200,000 and re-named it the Grand Ole Opry House.

• 1964: CONNIE SMITH made her chart debut with Once A Day.

• 1990: The first International Bluegrass Awards were held in Owensboro, Kentucky.

• 1997: BROOKS & DUNN’s music video for Honky Tonk Truth made its debut with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt appearing as Kix Brooks.

• 1997: THE RANCH made its chart debut with Walkin’ The Country, which also marked the chart debut for KEITH URBAN, the trio’s then lead singer and guitarist.

• 2000: A massive 20 foot bow was placed on the roof of the Grand Ole Opry House to commemorate the 75th birthday of the show.

• 2007: SARA EVANS told a judge she and Craig Schelske had reached agreement on the terms of their divorce.

• 2015: Hunter Montgomery, the 19-year-old son of MONTGOMERY GENTRY’s Eddie Montgomery, died in a Kentucky hospital of an overdose.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• JUSTIN MOORE on growing up.

• RASCAL FLATT’S Gary LeVox on longevity.

• TIM MCGRAW starts with good songs.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

SCOTTY McCREERY is off the market, after proposing to longtime girlfriend Gabi Dugal yesterday (Tuesday) at the top of a mountain in their home state of North Carolina. Scotty and Gabi have been dating since their senior year of high school and have known each other since kindergarten. She is a nurse at Duke University hospital. They plan to marry sometime next year. • IMAGE

REBA MCENTIRE has partnered with Justin boots for the Reba line, which will include boots, booties and casual shoes. It’s expected to be available in time for the holidays.

A stretch of highway in Redding, California has been re-named the MERLE HAGGARD Memorial Exchange. A dedication ceremony is set for October 25. Merle grew up in Bakersfield, which is about 400 miles south of Redding.

SARA EVANS will play a handful of dates in December to support her 2015 Christmas album.

On October 19 DARIUS RUCKER will play a show at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York. His new album, When Was The Last Time, hits stores the following day.

… DARIUS RUCKER’s forthcoming album, When Was The Last, Time includes a collaboration with JASON ALDEAN, LUKE BRYAN and CHARLES KELLEY on the song Straight To Hell.

KELSEA BALLERINI makes her debut on Ellen today (Wednesday).

DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

This is day 271 of 2017. There are 94 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Brigitte Bardot is 83

• Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) is 71

• Janeane Garofalo is 53

• Mira Sorvino is 50

• Naomi Watts is 49

• Hilary Duff is 30.

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1787: The newly completed United States Constitution was voted on by the U.S. Congress to be sent to the State legislatures for approval.

• 1820: The tomato was publicly proven safe when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson stood on the steps of the Salem, New Jersey, courthouse and ate a large number of them without any adverse effects.

• 1892: The first night football game in America was played between Mansfield State Normal School (now Mansfield University) and Wyoming Seminary.

• 1941: Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox finished the season with a batting average of .406. He was last major leaguer to hit .400-plus.

• 1987: The first episode of TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation aired.

• 1996: During their wedding at Spokane’s First Presbyterian Church, Craig and Jill Looper’s vow-sealing kiss set off the fire alarm. Or maybe it was an electrical problem. None of the 350 guests was injured, but the wedding cake was ruined. The couple signed their license on the hood of a fire truck.

• 2002: In Korschenbroich, Germany, a dirty diaper saved the life of a 20-month-old toddler after he fell 20 feet from a window and landed on his bottom. Police said the diaper acted like a car airbag, absorbing the shock better than a clean diaper.

• 2002: Chicago police officer Jessie Watts Jr. arrested two men who tried to burglarize the minivan he was occupying during an undercover surveillance.

• 2005: The U.S. Treasury introduced a new $10 bill, featuring splashes of red, yellow and orange.

• 2008: SpaceX launched the first private spacecraft, the Falcon 1 into orbit.

• 2012: Facebook hit 1 billion users.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Drink Beer Day

• Good Neighbor Day

• Ask a Stupid Question Day

UPCOMING

• October 3: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)

• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends

• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)

• December 21: First day of winter

INTERPREP ★ SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

This is day 269 of 2017. There are 96 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Olivia Newton-John is 69

• Linda Hamilton is 61

• Melissa Sue Anderson (Little House on the Prairie) is 55

• Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) is 49

• Music producer Dr. Luke is 44

• Christina Milian is 36

• Serena Williams is 36

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1914: The Federal Trade Commission was established.

• 1962: The Beverly Hillbillies premiered.

• 1969: The album Abbey Road by the Beatles was released.

• 1990: The Motion Picture Association of America announced it had created a new rating, NC-17, designed to bar moviegoers under age 17 from certain films without the commercial stigma of the old X rating.

• 1991: Four men and four women began a two-year stay inside a sealed-off structure known as Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona.

• 2005: Army Pfc. Lynndie England was convicted by a military jury on six counts stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. She was later sentenced to three years in prison.

• 2006: Former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow was sentenced by a federal judge in Houston to six years in prison for his role in the fallen energy company’s bankruptcy.

• 2006: In Tyler, Texas, a 73-year-old used car salesman allegedly ended an argument with a customer by pulling out a machete and whacking the man’s arm. Robert Parker was arrested on charges of aggravated assault after the incident. According to police, Gerald Davis had purchased a car from Time Auto Sales and went back to the dealership to pick up his license plates. Police said Davis and Parker began arguing and eventually Parker produced the machete. Police said they don’t know what the argument was about.

• 2012: An NFL referee lockout ended.

• 2016: In the first presidential debate Hillary Clinton faced Donald Trump at Hofstra University. It set the record as the most-watched debate in American history, with 84 million viewers.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Dumpling Day

• Voter Registration Day

• World Contraception Day

• Key Lime Pie Day

UPCOMING

• October 3: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)

• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends

• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)

• December 21: First day of winter

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

39: Ingredients in a Twinkie.

NEWS ATTACK!

Serial sexter Anthony Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in prison. [And just gave us this Halloween’s creepiest costume idea.]

A tour bus driver collapsed while navigating a treacherous mountain pass in the Austrian Apps. As the bus crashed through a guardrail and threatened to plummet 300 feet a 65-year-old tourist on the bus jumped behind the wheel and saved the day. [Because no one cheats a retired man out of something he’s paid for.]

The world’s most valuable brands have been ranked. Apple finished first. [Lemme guess — Kmart finished second?]

The new anonymous communication app tbh (To Be Honest) only allows positive messages. [It’ll never catch on in D.C.]

24/7 Wall St. has listed the jobs that are the worst on marriages. Number one is casino gaming manager. [My guess would have been mind reader.]

What did you think of the new TV show Young Sheldon? [Boy, was Sheldon irritating as a child. He was the only kid Mr. Rogers tried to smother with his sweater.]

Did you catch Star Trek: Discovery? It’s only the second Star Trek series with a female lead character. [The original name for the show was Star Trek: The Bachelorette.]

Kylie Jenner’s family is excited about her pregnancy. [They can’t wait until the first ultrasound or, as they call it, the baby’s first modeling gig.]

In baseball Aaron Judge hit his 50th home run, breaking a long-standing rookie record. [Wow. And just wait until he discovers steroids.]

Experts are warning that meth has been found in Mexico’s 7-Up. [They are also warning that it’s selling like crazy.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

80 PERCENT OF AMERICANS LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK _ According to a new survey (Careerbuilder) the majority of Americans are caught in a desperate cycle of working just to make ends meet. Researchers at Careerbuilder.com say nearly four in five — 78% — U.S. workers are living paycheck to paycheck, with many racking up more and more debt. That number was up three percent from 2016 and continues to be felt more by Americans earning less than $100,000 a year. Only nine percent of full-time workers making over that mark said they struggled to make ends meet.

FLORIDA KEYS WILL OFFICIALLY REOPEN TO TOURISTS OCT. 1 _ If you had to delay a vacation to the Florida Keys because of Hurricane Irma, you’ll soon be able to follow through on your plan to visit: The Keys will officially reopen to tourists this weekend. Although officials originally targeted October 20 as the date the Keys would welcome visitor back, that date has been moved up by a few weeks to October 1 because the Keys have completed most of the infrastructure repairs that needed to be done. Almost all power and water have been restored in the area, officials say. Cellular service is working well, although restoration of Comcast cable television and internet is lagging behind other utilities.

CHICKEN WITH AN ADDICTION TO TIM HORTON’S KEEPS CROSSING THE ROAD _ For several weeks now, a chicken in Canada (Shediac, New Brunswick) has been crossing the road, clearing a parking lot of delicious crumbs and then crossing again and returning home. The chicken lives as a pet with a local family, whose home is across the street from a Tim Horton’s coffee shop. Sometimes the chicken needs help crossing the road, other times cars stop for it and it walks itself.

CANADA GROOM SAVES CHILD FROM DROWNING IN RIVER _ In Canada (Cambridge, Ontario) Clayton and Brittany Cook were posing for wedding photos on a park bridge in when the groom noticed a boy in distress in the river. With no thought for his suit,Cook jumped into the water and pulled the young boy on to the shore. Their wedding photographer captured the whole rescue. After being rescued, the boy appeared fine, if a little shaken, and went off with an older sibling.

FAMILY CARES FOR NANNY 27 YEARS _ For three years, a woman in China worked as a nanny for a wealthy family. When the nanny became paralyzed due to illness in 1990, the family decided to care for the nanny. 27 years later she’s still being taken care of.

WORLD’S HEAVIEST WOMAN DIES _ The world’s heaviest woman had died at age 37. The Egyptian woman was in United Arab Emirates undergoing treatment. She’d already lost 88 pounds in seven days as she waited for a life saving operation. Before traveling to begin her weight loss procedures she weighed just over 1,100 pounds.

… According to Wikipedia the heaviest person to ever live was Jon Brower Minnoch of the U.S. At his peak he weighed 1,400 pounds. He died in 1983.

… The heaviest woman ever recorded was Carol Yager of the United States. She topped out at 1,200 pounds. She died in 1994.

BLAZE AT MAINE FIRE STATION AS FIREFIGHTERS ANSWER CALL _ The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a fire that caused damage… at a Portland, Maine, fire station. The blaze broke out around 6 PM Sunday and was centered around the kitchen area.

WOMAN ARMED WITH FRYING PAN HELPED STOP FOREST FIRE _ Forest rangers in Maine say the quick actions of a woman armed with a frying pan helped stop a forest fire. Rangers say Nancy Weeks used the frying pan to carry water back and forth between the flames and a nearby pond in a wooded area. Weeks kept the fire under control until crews arrived. The fire was sparked by an unattended camp fire.

WE ARE STILL HUNTER-GATHERERS _ A study suggests that, despite the developed world’s safe suburbs and indoor lifestyle, modern humans are still experts at spotting predators and prey. The research (published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) reveals that humans today are hard-wired to pay attention to other people and animals much more so than non-living things, even if inanimate objects are the primary hazards for modern, urbanized folks. The researchers say the finding supports the idea that natural selection molded mechanisms into our ancestors’ brains that were specialized for paying attention to humans and other animals. These adaptive traits were then passed on to us.

AUSTRALIA WILL ESTABLISH ITS OWN SPACE AGENCY _ Australia is very much a participant in the space industry with about 11,500 people working in the field. However, it has never had its own space agency. The government hopes to fix that. It just unveiled plans to create Australia’s first national space agency.

VELCRO’S LAWYERS CREATE COPYRIGHT REMINDER VIDEO _ ( AUDIO) The lawyers at Velcro are a little miffed that people think they own Velcro shoes and Velcro wallets. The problem is that the more people attribute every Velcro-like thing as a Velcro-thing, Velcro’s brand name gets tarnished. Even though Velcro lost its patent 40 years ago, the name is still protected. The technically correct terminology for most of those scratchy, hairy fastener things is anything but Velcro. Hook and Loop is the acceptable generic term.

… There are trademark laws being broken, insist the lawyers, and they want us to change our behavior. To get the message out there a group of disgruntled Velcro “lawyers” sings of their pain and begs companies to please cease and desist. • VIDEO (Bleeped F-bomb)

INSTAGRAM NOW HAS 800 MILLION MONTHLY USERS _ Instagram said Monday that it’s added another 100 million monthly users. That brings the photo-sharing app to 800 million monthly active users, up from 700 million in April. Five hundred million are daily active users.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: SWEARING IS GOOD FOR YOU, SO LET IT RIP! _ Let’s face it — sometimes ‘gosh darn’ just doesn’t cut it. A British study (Keele University) claims swearing is good for us. Cursing is a harmless, creative emotional release that can make you feel stronger. Basically, they argue that profanity is often used as a coping mechanism and can help us feel more resilient.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUY WITH 2 POUNDS OF GOLD IN HIS BUTT WAS REALLY EASY TO SPOT _ (CAUTION) A guy in Sri Lanka raised suspicion by the way he kept looking around in an airport departure lounge. When police pulled the man aside for questioning and a search they found he was carrying nearly 2.2 pounds of gold stashed in his rectum. The suspect was carrying almost 905 grams of gold worth $29,577.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLICE ARREST WANTED MAN AFTER HE TRIES TO VOTE DRUNK _ A drunk German man who insisted on voting in Sunday’s election instead landed in jail after police discovered he was wanted for arrest. The 46-year-old tried to cast his ballot (in Guben) but was turned away by election officials. The drunk would-be voter caused a scene, prompting officials to call police.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK BREAKS INTO CAR FOR PILLS AND FIDGET SPINNER _ An 18-year-old in Wisconsin (Caledonia) allegedly admitted to police that he was “black out drunk,” and broke into a neighbor’s car, intent on stealing something he saw inside: a fidget spinner. He woke up later with the spinner, flip flops, a pair of shoes, a vape device, and two bottles of booze. The 18-year-old didn’t remember much else, except that he also found a prescription bottle in the car and thought to himself, “Oh dude, pills!” and took them.”

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SIX MEN, ONE ROBBERY PLAN, NOT ENOUGH SLEEP _ In Tennessee six guys came up with a plan to rob a home. Four of them were dropped off at the targeted house and told to hide in the bushes until they received further instructions from the other two. The four waited patiently for four hours before coming out of hiding. When they emerged from the bushes they set off the home’s burglar alarm. Police quickly arrived and arrested the four and also found the other two asleep in their getaway car nearby.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN STEALS STREET SWEEPER, DOES DONUTS IN PARKING LOT _ Police in North Carolina (Garner) arrested a man for stealing a street sweeper and doing donuts in a parking lot.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN ROBS BANK, GOES TO KFC WITH BAG OF MONEY _ In Florida police arrested a Gainesville man at a KFC after they say he stole more than $10,000 from a bank.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STONED HIKERS NEED RESCUE FROM ENGLAND’S TALLEST PEAK _ Police in England responded to four hikers’ pleas for help off of a mountain because they were ‘incapable of walking’. This is another way of saying they were stoned. The men reached the 3,209 foot peak, smoked weed and lost their ability to get back down.

ON TELEVISION

SEASON PREMIERE: NCIS (8p ET, CBS) — Season 15 begins with the team continuing their search for Gibbs and McGee, two months after they went missing in Paraguay.

THE VOICE (8p ET, NBC) — The blind auditions continue.

SEASON FINALE: CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD (8p ET, ABC) — Teams in the finale are the Dancing With the Stars professional dancers and the Shark Tank sharks.

SEASON PREMIERE: LETHAL WEAPON (8p ET, FOX) — Riggs (Clayne Crawford) and Murtaugh (Damon Wayans) are back for a second season.

THE FLASH (8p ET, CW) — Repeat

SEASON PREMIERE: BULL (9p ET, CBS) — Bull faces off against an old romantic interest in the season 2 premiere. Minka Kelly guest stars, and Jill Flint returns.

SEASON PREMIERE: THIS IS US (9p ET, NBC) — Season 2 begins he morning after Jack left the house. As for the “present day” storyline, the show will pick up three months from where it left off, finding Kate and Toby now living together.

DANCING WITH THE STARS (9p ET, ABC) — In the second new episode this week, the 12 remaining celebs perform, then another is sent home.

SEASON PREMIERE: THE MICK (9p ET, FOX) — In season 2, Mickey (Kaitlin Olson) is figuring out family-life with the help of her sometimes-boyfriend (Scott MacArthur) and live-in housekeeper (Carla Jimenez).

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL (9p ET, National Geographic Channel) — This new 4-part docu-series follows a group of seniors through their final year of school in a small South Carolina town.

SEASON PREMIERE: BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (9:30p ET, FOX) — Jake and Rosa are coping with life behind bars in very different ways, in the season 5 premiere.

SEASON PREMIERE: NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (10p ET, CBS) — Season 4 begins with Pride still on probation six weeks after his takedown of the corrupt Mayor, and his team is closely monitored by a Supervisory Special Agent.

SERIES PREMIERE: LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS (10p ET, NBC) — This new 8-episode mini-series will document the story of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez. Citing various abuses as a defense, the brothers were found guilty in 1996 of the first-degree murder of their parents after two separate juries and a 20-week, media-frenzied retrial. Edie Falco stars as lawyer for the defense Leslie Abramson, and the story shows Abramson’s passionate and controversial efforts to keep the brothers out of prison. Heather Graham and Josh Charles also star.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT (10p ET, FX) — New

ENTERTAINMENT

NEW ON DVD _ Released September 26.

• Transformers: The Last Knight
• 47 Meters Down
• Taken: Season 1
• Coach: The Complete Series
• Friday Night Lights: The Complete Series
• Longmire: Season 5
• Shameless: Season 7

SCI-FI’S BIGGEST COSTUMES AND PROPS LAND IN A SINGLE AUCTION _ If you’ve ever thought that your mantelpiece or office bookshelf is incomplete without an M41A Pulse Rifle then you are in luck. Today (September 26) Prop Store Entertainment Memorabilia will host an online auction. The M41A is from the movie from Aliens. The resin, foam and wood gun is a little scraped and battered, and it won’t count down how many shells you’ve got left, but it may well make you feel like a Colonial Marine. It won’t be cheap, though — bidding starts at $13,475.

… How about the self-lacing Nikes that Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future Part II? The starting bid is $16,844.

… There are costumes for whichever famed film likeness you desire. If jumpsuits are your thing, you could choose from Peter Venkman or Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. For Star Wars fans there is a model of the Millennium Falcon that never appeared in a Star Wars movie.

ANOTHER NETFLIX PHISHING SCAM _ There’s yet another Netflix phishing scam circulating, and this one involves an email saying your account has been disabled. Subscribers have reportedly received emails that claim trouble with billing information, and ask customers to update payment info. Some versions of the email have asked for bank account info, which is not something Netflix would ask for over email. If you receive this email do not click on any links.

RAPPER B.O.B. WANTS TO LAUNCH SATELLITES _ ( AUDIO) B.o.B. may finally be coming around to the fact that the Earth is not, in fact, flat. The Atlanta-based rapper has long been vocal about his belief that the Earth is as flat as a pancake, but recently he launched a GoFundMe page in an effort to “find the curve.” The artist is seeking $200,000 to help him launch satellites into space in order to prove everything you ever learned in science class right. The 28-year-old musician — real name Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. — is a noted conspiracy theorist, and in January 2016, unleashed a thread of tweets in which he claimed “proof” that the earth was flat. • VIDEO

TAYLOR KITSCH AS DAVID KORESH IN WACO _ Paramount Network has released first-look photos of Taylor Kitsch (American Assassin, Friday Night Lights) as cult leader David Koresh in their upcoming six-part series titled Waco. The cast includes Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, John Leguizamo, Melissa Benoist, Camryn Manheim and others. Waco is based on the controversial and harrowing true story of the 1993 standoff between the FBI, ATF and David Koresh’s spiritual sect in Waco, Texas that resulted in a deadly shootout and fire.

IT SEQUEL RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED _ The sequel to It has a release date. It: Chapter 2 will hit theaters on September 6, 2019. Chapter 2 will pick up 27 years after the first film, and find the members of the Losers’ Club all grown-up and scattered away from their cursed hometown of Derry, Maine. But when Pennywise the Clown wakes from his hibernation and begins killing again, the Losers find themselves called home to defeat Pennywise once and for all.

RYAN GOSLING SAYS HE’S “WORKING ON” A ROLE IN NEW INDIANA JONES _ Ryan Gosling says he’s “working on” asking Blade Runner 2049 co-star Harrison Ford for a role in the new Indiana Jones movie. Last year it was announced Ford would be returning for another Indy flick, which will be directed by Steven Spielberg. The film come out in 2019. Gosling joked recently that he’s “working on” getting a part in the movie.

MARC ANTHONY TELLS TRUMP TO TURN ATTENTION TO PUERTO RICO _ Donald Trump’s under fire from Marc Anthony, who’s begging the commander-in-chief to turn his attention away from NFL player protests and toward the crisis in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. Anthony tweeted: “Mr. President shut…up about NFL. Do something about our people in need in #PuertoRico. We are American citizens too.”

… The singer’s anger stems from the humanitarian crisis in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The island’s power grid remains crippled, a massive dam is crumbling, hospitals don’t have running water and there’s extremely limited communication.

DUKES OF HAZZARD STAR TOM WOPAT FACES NEW CHARGE _ Tom Wopat, who starred as Luke Duke in the sitcom The Dukes of Hazzard and was arrested on indecent assault and battery and cocaine possession charges in August, has now been hit with additional charges. Waltham, Massachusetts news outlet Wicked Local Waltham reports that Wopat now faces additional charges of indecent assault and battery, and for “annoying and attacking” the teenage girl he’s accused of victimizing.

… Citing police reports, Wicked Local said that Wopat is accused of striking the teenage girl in the buttocks with a rehearsal script while preparing to perform in a production of 42nd Street. Wopat allegedly told the girl “nice butt” during the incident.

LIVE MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF RENT TO AIR ON JANUARY 27 _ The live musical production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-, Grammy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent will air in January of 2019 on Fox television. Rent tells the story of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams during a time of great social and political turmoil.

GAME OF THRONES VOTED BEST TV SHOW OF LAST 20 YEARS _ In a poll of TV fans conducted by Rotten Tomatoes Game of Thrones was named the best show of the last 20 years. Here’s the Top 10 list:

Game of Thrones
Breaking Bad
The Big Bang Theory
Friends
Seinfeld
Law & Order
Downton Abbey
The West Wing
Doctor Who
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Sherlock
The Sopranos
Grey’s Anatomy
The Wire
24
The Simpsons
The Office
ER
Lost

… The full top 40.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• VELCRO: Velcro “lawyers” want us to stop calling everything velcro.

• B.o.B.: Rapper B.o.B. wants to send up satellites to prove earth is flat.

• TERRY BRADSHAW: Terry Bradshaw wants Trump to focus on issues Americans are worried about.

• MYSTERY VOICE: Mark Hamill

THE FACEBOOK GROUP HAS MORE

BITS & BREAKS

DOWNLOAD THIS APP – KIDS EAT FREE

Kids’ meals aren’t usually anything to get too excited about, but free kids’ meals — that’s a different story. Kids Eat Free is a free, crowdsourced app on iOS that lets you instantly find local restaurants offering specials. Just enter your city or zip, along with the day of the week, and you’re on your way to some free chicken tenders and sliced apples. • LINK

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: What crafty ways does your family save money on eating out?

8 JOBS THAT TAKE BIGGEST TOLL ON MARRIAGES

Some jobs seem to take a greater toll on a marriage than others. Low pay, lousy hours, nights, weekends, and work environments that involve alcohol are among the usual factors. Here are the eight worst jobs for marriage (according to analysis by 24/7 Wall St.).

1. Casino gaming managers: divorce rate 52.9%

2. Bartenders: divorce rate 52.7%

3. Flight attendants: divorce rate 50.5%

4. Gaming service workers (in casinos): divorce rate 50.3%

5. Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal, and plastic: divorce rate 50.1%

6. Switchboard operators, including answering service: divorce rate 49.7%

7. Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal, and plastic: divorce rate 49.6%

8. Telemarketers: divorce rate 49.2%

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Ten percent of us wake up this way each day. (Without the need for an alarm clock)

WHO SAID IT?

“Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn’t great is lying to you.”

• Donald Trump

• Oprah Winfrey*

• Katie Perry

• Stephen King

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Will you be using this video?
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Guy hitches ride on the back of speeding train.

When u don't wanna ride with the filth on the train but u got places to be…. #perthlife #yabasic #transperth…..“To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com”

Posted by Chantelle Stone on Saturday, September 23, 2017

IMAGE OF THE DAY

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Gluten free.

source: bitsandpieces.us

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

• 1925: MARTY ROBBINS was born in Glendale, Arizona. He died in 1982.

• 1953: JOHNNY HORTON married Billie Jean Jones, widow of HANK WILLIAMS.

• 1996: ALABAMA’s album Cheap Seats was certified platinum. Hits included the title track, T.L.C.A.S.A.P. and Reckless.

• 2003: After being dethroned for a week, ALAN JACKSON’s duet with JIMMY BUFFETT, It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, re-claimed the top spot on the Radio & Records chart. It would spend eight collective weeks at the top and would be Alan’s longest charting single.

• 2005: ALAN JACKSON headlined a concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

• 2008: SUGARLAND canceled four concerts as Jennifer Nettles battles throat and sinus problems.

• 2011: KEITH URBAN was joined by actor Russell Crowe during his show at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Keith backs Russell on a cover of Folsom Prison Blues.

• 2012: GEORGE STRAIT announced plans for his final major tour, The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. The tour dates would keep him on the road through summer of 2014. He did stress it was not a retirement announcement, that he would perform select shows after the tour and would continue recording and writing new music.

• 2016: THE OAK RIDGE BOYS begin selling their own brand of spicy peppers, Oak Ridge Boys Favorite Southern Style Bread N Butter Jalapenos, at Cracker Barrel stores.

DAVID FRIZZELL is 76.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN is 69. She was the Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year in 1974 and scored hits on the country chart with Let Me Be There and If You Love Me, Let Me Know.

CARLENE CARTER is 62.

DOUG SUPERNAW is 57.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• RASCAL FLATT’S Gary LeVox on longevity.

• TIM MCGRAW starts with good songs.

• REBA loves spring and fall.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

MONTGOMERY GENTRY’s Eddie Montgomery has made his first public statement since Troy Gentry’s death in a helicopter crash. In a letter sent to radio programmers with a copy of Montgomery Gentry‘s new single Better Me, Eddie offers gratitude for fans’ love and prayers following the tragedy, and shares some thoughts on his relationship with Troy and their upcoming new music. He wrote, in part: “Our world was turned upside down in an instant, and nothing could have prepared us for this.”

KELSEA BALLERINI will make her debut tomorrow (Wednesday) on Ellen to perform her latest, Legends.

COLE SWINDELL will perform on Ellen Thursday (September 28).

DUSTIN LYNCH is the first country artist in 2017 to spend four straight weeks at the top of the Country Airplay (Billboard) chart. He did it with the song Small Town Boy. The last song to spend at least four weeks at the top of that chart was THOMAS RHETT’s Die A Happy Man, which logged six straight weeks at No. 1 last year.

LADY ANTEBELLUM will be the focus of an episode in season 12 of the PBS series Live from the Artists Den. The concert footage was filmed in New York earlier this year and the episode also includes interviews with the band members.

GEORGE STRAIT paid a visit to Rockport, Texas last week to offer support to victims of Hurricane Harvey.

LORETTA LYNN plans to make her first public appearance since her stroke last May. She’ll appear at the Tennessee Motorcycle and Music Revival later this week at her Hurricane Mills ranch.

BRETT YOUNG has added seven dates to his Caliville Tour, kicking off October 14 in Charlottesville, Virginia with special guest CARLY PEARCE. The new dates include stops in Nashville, Chicago and Grand Rapids.

DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

This is day 270 of 2017. There are 95 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Wilford Brimley is 83

• Meat Loaf is 70

• Shaun Cassidy is 59

• Comedian Marc Maron is 54

• Gwyneth Paltrow is 45

• Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia) is 43

• Lil’ Wayne is 35

• Avril Lavigne is 33

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1950: The answering machine was invented.

• 1954: The nationwide debut of Tonight! (The Tonight Show) hosted by Steve Allen on NBC.

• 1964: The Warren Commission released its report concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

• 1968: The stage musical Hair opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, where it played 1,998 performances until its closure was forced by the roof’s collapsing in July 1973.

• 1995: The Government of the United States unveiled the first of its redesigned bank notes with the $100 bill featuring a larger portrait of Benjamin Franklin slightly off-center.

• 1998: Google was founded.

• 1998: St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire’s record-breaking season ended with his 69th and 70th home runs.

• 2004: NBC announced that Conan O’Brien would take over for Jay Leno The Tonight Show in 2009.

• 2015: A “Supermoon” coincided with a lunar eclipse creating a “Blood Moon” over much of the earth.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Ancestor Appreciation Day

• Women’s Health & Fitness Day

• Woman Road Warrior Day. A day to honor women who travel for business.

• Chocolate Milk Day

UPCOMING

• October 3: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)

• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends

• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)

• December 21: First day of winter

INTERPREP ★ SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

This is day 257 of 2017. There are 108 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Walter Koenig (Star Trek) is 81

• Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) is 70

• Melissa Leo is 57

• Wendy Thomas (namesake of the fast food restaurant) is 56 – Her name is not Wendy or Thomas.

• Robert Herjavec (Shark Tank) is 55

• Tyler Perry is 48

• Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) is 46

• Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) is 44

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1886: Typewriter ribbon was patented.

• 1901: President of the United States William McKinley died after an assassination attempt on September 6. He was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.

• 1984: Joe Kittinger became the first person to fly a hot air balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean.

• 1990: Ken Griffey Jr. and his father Ken Griffey Sr. became the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs.

• 1991: San Antonio police arrested a 76-year-old man in an anti-prostitution sweep. From jail he called his 102-year-old mother for help. He said he couldn’t call his wife — she’d kill him.

• 1994: The Major League Baseball season was canceled due to strike.

• 1999: A 21-year-old Welsh tourist fell out of the back of a bus on a busy highway while mooning passing motorists. The engineering student was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

• 2001: President George W. Bush visited the site of the World Trade Center in New York three days after the terrorist attacks that destroyed the Twin Towers. Standing on top of the rubble, Bush responded to a fireman’s shouts by saying, “I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people … and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”

• 2001: The FBI released the names of the 19 hijackers who took part in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

• 2005: A federal judge in San Francisco declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional.

• 2011: NASA revealed its Space Launch System plan, intended to replace the Space Shuttle program with its first flight scheduled for 2017.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Live Creative Day

• Cream-Filled Donut Day

UPCOMING

• September 22: First day of fall

• October 3: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)

• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends

• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)

• December 21: First day of winter

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

9: Times per minute a blue whale’s hear beats.

NEWS ATTACK!

For two consecutive nights in a New Jersey Burger King parking lot women gave birth. [“For heaven’s sake, please, more napkins!”]

A woman on her way to work in Calgary didn’t realize that a coyote had gotten stuck in her car’s front grill. Fortunately, the coyote suffered only minor injuries and was released back into the wild. [But what a way for that lady to start her first day at PETA.]

Target announced that it will hire 100,000 people this holiday season. [I knew that Sean Spicer would land on his feet.]

British authorities officially approved plans for a controversial traffic tunnel to be built beneath Stonehenge. [They also gave the okay for the overhead zip line.]

Did you hear about the Kansas City man who proposed on a footbridge and accidentally dropped the ring into the pond? They never did find it. [It’s similar to what happened when I proposed to my wife, but fortunately, the kiddie pool wasn’t that deep.]

Larry King revealed that he recently had a growth removed from his lung. He said that he’s telling the story to get smokers to quit so that they can avoid his situation. [I’m not sure whether he’s referring to surgery or wearing suspenders.]

Are you planning to buy the new iPhone X? [Or do you need to eat?]

Several Russian office buildings had to be evacuated after being hit by a rash of phony bomb threats. [Is this the CIA’s idea of getting revenge for the election hacking? What’s next, will SEAL Team 6 be assigned to ring Russian doorbells and run?]

Congressman Tim Murphy has been forced to admit that he’s been involved in a hot extra-marital affair with a woman half his age. [Ted Cruz ‘Liked’ the affair on Twitter.]

The Professional Football Hall of Fame made an embarrassing error. It nominated the wrong player for admission into the Hall. [It was all a misunderstanding. Sorry, Tim Tebow.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

RESTAURANT MANAGER’S ACT OF KINDNESS HELPS IRMA EVACUEES _ A Tennessee restaurant manager’s generosity helped ease the anxieties of Florida newlyweds evacuating during Hurricane Irma. Deanna and Benjamin Feist of Brandon, Florida, were married just before Irma hit Florida on Monday. They were happy to evacuate to the Great Smoky Mountains to make the most of their honeymoon. But as they arrived at the parking lot of the a restaurant in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee the couple began experiencing car problems.

… They got a battery jump from a man parked next to him, who was a manager at the restaurant. He fixed the couple’s car, got them seated in the restaurant and made sure they were served quickly. He also put $200 into an envelope and instructed the couple’s waitress to give it to them.

IRMA LOOTERS BUSTED STEALING UTILITY POLE IN JACKSONVILLE _ Jacksonville, Florida, authorities says they caught a pair of men trying to make off with a metal utility pole Wednesday morning. The man tried to carry the long pole on top of an SUV. • IMAGE

13-YEAR-OLD RESCUES NEIGHBORS ON AIR MATTRESS DURING HARVEY _ Imagine it’s 2 in the morning, flood water is up to your eyes and you’re pushing an air mattress behind an apartment building. You’re pushing through water and debris, staying calm, trying to rescue families screaming for help — and also you’re 13 years old. 13-year-old Virgil Smith rescued neighbors during Hurricane Harvey. When flood waters poured into his apartment complex, he and his mom took shelter at a stranger’s second floor apartment. Virgil says he got a call from his friend in another building. Virgil says he swam back to his apartment, pulled out the air mattress his family uses for guests, and went to work, rescuing his friends. Altogether Virgil rescued 17 people.

FORMER ADULT MAG EXEC OPENS MANSION TO KIDS DISPLACED BY IRMA _ 70 foster kids spent five days bracing the impact of Hurricane Irma in emergency shelters. But after the storm was over, their foster care community had lost power and they had nowhere to go. Millionaire Marc Bell says that’s when he got a phone call from the SOS Children’s Village Florida saying “we need help. We’ve been evicted from our shelters and we don’t know where to bring the kids, and we’re not getting any help from the county, what do I do?”. Bell says he told them, “Bring them here.” Bell, a former executive of adult magazine Penthouse, is on the board of the children’s shelter. He and his wife Jennifer said the decision was a no-brainer. The Bells have plenty of space in their $30-million, 27,000-square foot Boca Raton home.

… The Bells have also provided entertainment, like a balloon guy and a singer-guitarist. And the the girls are getting manicures.

MYSTERIOUS SEA CREATURE WASHES ASHORE IN AFTER HURRICANE _ A mysterious sea creature washed ashore on a Texas beach after Hurricane Harvey. The eyeless sea monster was discovered on a beach in Texas City after being being displaced by the violent hurricane. The National Audubon Society posted an image of the mysterious sea creature on Twitter asking for help from biologists in identifying it. The dead animal also had razor-sharp teeth and a lengthy body in the shape of a cylinder.

OLIVE GARDEN PASTA PASS ON SALE TODAY _ Once again, Olive Garden is selling pasta passes, which will allow cardholders to eat unlimited pasta, soup, salad and breadsticks at locations from September 25 through November 19 at no additional charge. The passes cost $100 this year on a first come, first served sale today at 2PM ET. Last year, Olive Garden sold 21,000 passes in one second. • LINK

TREASURY SECRETARY ASKED FOR AIR FORCE JET FOR HONEYMOON _ Work perks are nice. Like when you have to move a couch from your house to your college kid’s dorm room and you borrow a company van. No harm, no foul. Or like when you’re the US Treasury Secretary and you want to take your wife to Europe on your honeymoon at a flight cost of $25,000 per hour. That really happened. Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton requested an Air Force jet to take them on their honeymoon in Scotland, France and Italy earlier this summer. The Treasury Department turned down their request.

McDONALD’S DRIVE-THRU WORKER FIRED OVER ‘SPELL DEPORTATION’ _ A McDonald’s customer in Charlotte, North Carolina, filmed an argument with a drive-thru worker, and the phone footage has gone viral. During the disagreement, the McDonald’s employee repeatedly said the name “Donald Trump” and asked the customer if she could spell the word “deportation” when the customer didn’t immediately exit the drive-thru lane. The worker is now an ex-employee of McDonald’s.

… Apparently, the dispute may have involved a request for some extra ketchup with the fast-food order.

SCRATCHING WHEN YOU’RE STRESSED IS GOOD FOR YOU _ Does stress make you itchy? You’re not alone, and you may be engaging in an elaborate conflict-prevention strategy that evolved millions of years ago. Researchers (University of Plymouth) spent eight months Puerto Rico observing a group of wild rhesus macaques, watching for patterns — specifically in their scratching habits. The scientists found that the macaques were scratching the most at times of heightened social stress, such as when they had to deal with a higher-ranking or unknown monkey. This echoes research conducted on human stress: We often have the same response when forced to confront our bosses or approach strangers.

… It turns out there’s a good reason for this — to avoid squabbles. In the study, higher-ranking monkeys were 25 percent less likely to get aggressive towards scratching monkeys compared with non-scratching ones. The lead author of the study says this could mean that monkeys see scratching as a signal of stress — and attacking a stressed-out monkey may not be a very good idea because they could behave unpredictably.

REPAIRMAN CLIMBS DOWN BUILDING TO RESCUE BOY _ A repairman is being called a hero after he climbed out of an apartment window to rescue a 5-year-old boy. The man climbed from a sixth-story window to reach the boy, who was standing on the window ledge of a fifth-story window and crying out for his mother after being left home alone. The man was installing cabinets on the floor above when he heard the boy’s cries. Video shows him free-climb down a water drain to the window below, where he grabbed the boy’s waist.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS HIRE TEEN TO CONNECT WITH GEN Z _ The Minnesota Vikings announced the hiring of an 18-year-old consultant who calls himself a “Gen Z guru,” to find new ways to connect with the new generation. Jonah Stillman co-wrote, “Gen Z @ Work: How the Next Generation Is Transforming the Workplace.” He graduated high school this year and is expected to consult with the Vikings on marketing, digital media content and strategy.

POCKET POINTS APP REWARDS TURNED OFF PHONES _ Students at over 200 college campuses throughout the United States are finding motivation to turn off their phones. Pocket Points is a smartphone app that rewards students with discounts and free food at local restaurants. The catch: to earn points, the students must let the app lock down their phone while on campus so they’ll pay better attention in class.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN NABBED TRYING TO ROB JUST-BURGLARIZED RESTAURANT _ A man with a knife tried to rob a Southern California pizza restaurant just a few hours after burglars had already stolen from it. As the owner was cleaning up after the burglary less than three hours later, the knife-wielding man walked in and demanded money. The owner flagged down an officer providing extra patrol help and suspect was captured.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN’S GPS LED HIM TO DRIVE INTO PENNSYLVANIA RIVER _ A driver’s global positioning system device caused him to drive into a Pennsylvania river. The GPS led him to drive along a bicycle path in a park. The man was unable to stay on the bike path because it narrowed, and his car rolled off the path sideways into the river.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN ADMITS USING COUNTY CASH TO BUY DOG TUXEDO _ A former administrative assistant to an Arkansas county official has pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of a credit card after prosecutors accused her of using public money to buy personal items, including a tuxedo for her pet pug. Kristi Goss was set for trial this week but pleaded guilty Monday. Authorities accused Goss of fraudulently charging $200,000 to a credit card on purchases including the dog tuxedo, a diamond bracelet, tickets to Arkansas Razorbacks sporting events, sequined throw pillows and pet insurance.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: 83-YEAR-OLD PUSHES SUSPECT OFF ROOF _ An 83-year-old man ended a police standoff that lasted for hours. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials say a male suspect was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, prompting crisis negotiators to respond. The suspect refused to come down after negotiators and deputies issued commands. An elderly resident became tired of the situation that lasted about five hours. The elderly man climbed onto the roof and pushed the suspect off.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STUDENT BUSTED FOR POT PHOTO ON PHONE _ An Italian student’s phone got him busted on marijuana charges. The student allegedly took a picture of himself standing among a patch of marijuana plants and used it as his phone’s wallpaper photo. As luck would have it he dropped the waist pouch he used to carry the phone and it was picked up by someone who turned it over to police.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NUDE MAN WALKING DOGS _ Las Vegas police are on the lookout for a nude man who was spotted taking a stroll with two dogs. The suspect is a tall white man believed to be in his 50s. And he’s probably nude.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN DRIVES STOLEN VEHICLE TO PAY TRAFFIC TICKET _ In South Carolina, a woman was trying to avoid legal problems by paying a traffic ticket in person. But when she arrived at the courthouse officers arrested her — for driving a stolen vehicle.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN GOES SHOPPING, COMES OUT TO FIND HIS TRUCK IN FLAMES _ Imagine going shopping, only to walk out and find your car on fire. That’s exactly what happened in a Florida parking lot. All that was left of the pick-up truck was a charred frame and some ashes. Firefighters are trying to figure out what caused the fire.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FISH CPR _ An officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported spotting Fernando Pantoja fishing a river in Sebastian, Florida — after the end of the fishing season. The officer told Pantoja to stop fishing and return to shore to have his cooler and net inspected. According to the report, Pantoja instead started throwing fish back into the water. The officer got closer to Pantoja’s location and spotted a large fish floating on the surface. Pantoja — apparently aware of the consequences of being caught with a dead fish — started “bumping” the fish in an attempt to revive it. It worked — the fish swam away, but Pantoja was still arrested and charged.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LET’S TEST THIS GUN I FOUND _ A shopper at a mall in Atlanta was waiting for her 8-year-old son to try on some clothes in a dressing room. The boy found a gun there, under a bench, and told his mother. Mom wasn’t sure what to do, so she pulled the trigger to “determine if the gun was real.” It was. She managed to not shoot her child, but the bullet caused damage inside the store. Police didn’t charge the mom with a crime.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUY WHO GOT STUCK IN CHIMNEY GOES TO JAIL _ A man who got stuck in a chimney while trying to burglarize a London home is going to prison. He was arrested after the homeowners found him stuck in their chimney. He allegedly told police he was doing construction on the house and claimed other people were with him. No one else was found and firefighters worked nearly four hours and dismantled the chimney to extract him.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GROCERY STORE WORKERS ARGUE OVER PRODUCE _ Two grocery store workers in California were stacking produce when they began arguing about the right way to do their job. Words escalated into threats and the men took their argument to the store’s parking lot, where punches were thrown and one guy was stabbed in the arm. No word on what vegetable the men were arguing over.

ON TELEVISION

THE BIG BANG THEORY (8p ET, CBS) — Repeat

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR (8p ET, NBC) — Repeat

CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD (8p ET, ABC) — Repeat

SEASON FINALE: BEAT SHAZAM (8p ET, FOX) — New

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

PROJECT RUNWAY (8p ET, Lifetime) — New. Getting inspiration from Disney’s Descendants 2, the designers visit Lyndhurst Castle and create a look that represents good or evil.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8:25p ET, NFL Network) — The Houston Texans are in Cincinnati to play the Bengals.

MOM (8:30p ET, CBS) — Repeat

BIG BROTHER (9p ET, CBS) — New

TRUTH AND LIES: THE MURDER OF LACI PETERSON (9p ET, ABC) — This new special uses archival footage and new interviews to provide a look at the arrest and conviction of Scott Peterson in the murders of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son.

SEASON FINALE: LOVE CONNECTION (9p ET, FOX) — New

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (9p ET, CW) — Danielle Panabaker (The Flash) is the guest in this new episode.

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (9:30p ET, CW) — Repeat

ZOO (10p ET, CBS) — New. The team’s plane suffers a catastrophic accident in the hybrid zone.

CHICAGO FIRE (10p ET, NBC) — Repeat

ENTERTAINMENT

ADAM LEVINE AND BEHATI PRINSLOO EXPECTING SECOND CHILD _ Adam Levine and wife Behati Prinsloo are expecting their second child. The 28-year-old mom announced the happy news with an Instagram shot revealing her bare bump, writing, “ROUND 2…” The pair welcomed daughter Dusty in September 2016.

HEIDI KLUM LABELED ‘CREEPY’ AFTER CALLING HER SONS ‘SEXY’ _ Model Heidi Klum has been labelled “creepy”, “inappropriate” and “weird” after describing her tween boys as “sexy” with “rocking bodies”. The 44-year-old model made the comments about her sons, 12-year-old Henry and 10-year-old Johan, during an interview with People this week. The proud mum noted they would be “fending off the ladies” in years to come.

… Klum told People: “My boys are very sexy. They’re very young and I probably shouldn’t say that, that they’re sexy.”

JULIANNE HOUGH NOT RETURNING TO DANCING WITH THE STARS _ The news is out that Julianne Hough is not returning to Dancing With the Stars this season. It has been confirmed that Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli will all be back. A rep for Dancing With the Stars shared that they are happy to have all three judges back and that they will be welcoming guest judges when they can. But Hough hasn’t shared why she won’t be back. She just got married recently (to Brooks Laich). A source shared that they want to have babies soon, so this could be part of the reason she isn’t returning.

TRADING SPACES REBOOT _TLC announced earlier this year that it’s bringing back Trading Spaces. The interior design reality show ran from 2000 to 2008 and was incredibly popular. It turns out that many fan favorites will be returning when the show comes back after a decade off-air. It was already known that Paige Davis would be back to host the Trading Spaces reboot. And TLC is bringing back many of the best designers on the show, including Doug Wilson and Genevieve Gorder. Doug and Genevieve will reportedly be joined by fan favorites Vern Yip, Hildi Santo-Tomas, and Frank Bielec. However, it’s unclear if all of them will fill designer roles for the series or if they will be doing something else.

… A premiere date hasn’t been announced yet for the Trading Spaces reboot on TLC — all we know is spring of 2018.

THREE SHOWS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF RENEWED BY TBS _ Turner’s TBS has renewed three of the network’s most recent hit original series: The Guest Book, People of Earth and Wrecked.

SYFY TURNING GEORGE R.R. MARTIN NOVELLA INTO SERIES _ Syfy has picked up the series Nightflyers, a sci-fi drama based on a novella by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. Set in a future where Earth faces imminent destruction, Nightflyers centers on a group of explorers who head into outer space to find an alien ship that may hold the key to their survival. Their spaceship’s artificial intelligence might have other ideas, though.

ATYPICAL SEASON 2 GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT BY NETFLIX _ Atypical Season 2 has been given the green light by Netflix. The second season will be increased to 10 episodes.

JESSICA BIEL AND RESTAURANT PARTNERS ACCUSED OF STEALING TIPS _ Jessica Biel and her business partners at Los Angeles’ Au Fudge restaurant have been served with a lawsuit by the restaurant’s wait staff, which accused the actress and other owners of stealing their tips. In a suit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, nine current and former staffers at the kid-focused restaurant are seeking $430,000 in tips from various events.

FRANK VINCENT DEAD AT 80 _ Frank Vincent — veteran actor known for his roles on “The Sopranos” and several Martin Scorsese films — died in a New Jersey hospital Wednesday. Vincent suffered a heart attack last week and underwent open-heart surgery some point after that. He died from surgical complications.

REBEL WILSON SUED THE GUYS THAT LIED ABOUT HER AND WON _ Australian actress Rebel Wilson has been awarded $3.6 million by an Australian court after it found a popular magazine guilty of defamation. The amount is the largest defamation damages award in Australian legal history. The judgment follows a unanimous jury verdict in June that Bauer Media, publisher of Woman’s Day magazine, had defamed Wilson by branding her a “serial liar” who “fabricated almost every aspect of her life.” The magazine published articles claiming Wilson lied about her name, age and childhood so she could make it in Hollywood. As a result, the actress said, she missed out on several prominent film roles and other opportunities.

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Pro Audio page.

• PHONER: Let’s talk about littering! → 2 real calls

• HURRICANE RELIEF: Blake Shelton and Usher sing during hurricane relief event.

• DROP: I hold these people in contempt.

INTERPREP PROSHARE

More prep in the Facebook Group.

BITS & BREAKS

BEST WATER AND THEME PARKS

Awards have been handed out to winners of Amusement Today’s 2017 Golden Ticket Awards, honoring the “Best of the Best” in the amusement industry.

The list of 2017 winners are:

Best Amusement Park – Europa-Park, Rust, Germany
Best Water Park – Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, New Braunfels, Texas
Best Marine Life Park – SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
Best Wooden Coaster – El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, N.J.
Best Steel Coaster – Fury 325, Carowinds, Charlotte, N.C.
Friendliest Park – Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Cleanest Park – Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.
Best Halloween Event – Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
Best Food – Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Best Shows – Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Best Water Park Ride – Wildebeest at Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.
Best New Ride of 2017 – Amusement Park – Mystic Timbers at Kings Island, Kings Mills, Ohio
Best New Ride of 2017 – Water Park – Thunder Rapids at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, Texas
Best Carousel – Grand Carousel at Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pa.
Best Indoor Roller Coaster – Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Orlando, Orlando, Fla.

SHOWER THOUGHTS

In the shower you’re alone with no distractions. It’s just you and your thoughts. On a Reddit board called Shower Thoughts people share what things they thought of while shower.

• As a kid I couldn’t wait to be an adult so that I could whatever the heck I want. As an adult I wish to be a kid again so that I could do whatever the heck I want.

• If your hands are cold and you touch someone warm, you are literally draining their thermal energy from their skin to yours.

• My wife has owned a self driving car for the last 30 while sitting in the passenger seat. She dictates where she wants to go, goes to sleep and arrives at her destination safely.

• Why is it lazy to sleep in but healthy to go to bed early?

• When I’m driving I’m basically sitting still, hardly moving a muscle, but still traveling way faster than nature intended me to.

• Wouldn’t it be nice if we could record silence and play it in full volume to make the room silent?

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: 4 in 10 men an 1 in 4 women don’t do this. (Wash their hands after using the toilet)

WHICH CAME FIRST?

• Band-aids (1920) or the disposable razor (1901)

• The can opener (1858) or Tupperware (1938)

• Disposable diapers (1951) or the teddy bear (1902)

• Mini-skirt (1965) or blue jeans (1850)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Kevin Parry’s optical illusions.

Will you be using this video?
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IMAGE OF THE DAY

PSL for the puppy.

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source: reddit

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

• 1946: HANK WILLIAMS and his wife, Audrey, traveled to Nashville to audition for music publisher Fred Rose.

• 1968: MERLE HAGGARD performed Mama Tried on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.

• 1979: KENNY ROGERS earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• 1992: GARTH BROOKS’ album The Chase was released. Hits included We Shall Be Free, That Summer and Somewhere Other Than The Night.

• 1996: MINDY MCCREADY scored her first number one hit with Guys Do It All The Time.

• 2006: RODNEY ATKINS made his national television debut performing If You’re Going Through Hell on CBS’ Late Show With Craig Ferguson.

• 2010: LADY ANTEBELLUM topped the country charts with Our Kind Of Love.

• 2010: ALAN JACKSON received the Founders Award from songwriting organization ASCAP for his contributions toward inspiring other artists to follow in his footsteps. Previous recipients had included EMMYLOU HARRIS and Billy Joel.

• 2016: DIERKS BENTLEY posted a video showing the family’s adoption of a new dog.

JOHN BERRY is 58. He’s known for the songs Change My Mind, She’s Taken A Shine and Your Love Amazes Me.

COUNTRY AUDIO

Find these audio files on the Country Audio page.

• MAREN MORRIS loves songwriting.

• BLAKE SHELTON and Usher sing during hurricane relief event.

• LUKE COMBS on his fan base.

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

MONTGOMERY GENTRY’s TROY GENTRY will be honored with a Celebration of Life event this morning (Thursday) at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. It will stream live on the Opry website, Opry.com. The event will be followed by a private burial.

The official preliminary report about the helicopter crash that killed Troy Gentry says the pilot reported trouble with the throttle prior to the fatal accident. According to a preliminary report the National Transportation Safety Board released Wednesday, pilot James Evan Robinson said that “he was unable to control engine RPM with throttle inputs” when he radioed for help, adding, “He reported he could ‘roll’ the twist-grip, but that there was no corresponding change in engine rpm when he did so.” The pilot reportedly hovered while waiting for emergency crews to arrive before attempting to make a forced landing using “a power-off, auto-rotational descent” from an altitude of 950 feet.

LITTLE BIG TOWN will be added to the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville today (Thursday).

LUKE BRYAN will play a September 22 concert in Houston with all proceeds benefiting victims of Hurricane Harvey. Luke is also working with local authorities to make tickets available to first responders.

Five people have been charged in Tennessee with conspiring to defraud the My People Fund of DOLLY PARTON’s Dollywood Foundation, set up to help people affected by wildfires last year. Dolly established the fund soon after the wildfires, which claimed 14 lives and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. Dollywood Foundation’s president said the fund helped 900 families with about $9 million in the first six months after the fires. Records allege the accused were able to take about $12,000 before being discovered.

The Hand In Hand telethon with performances by GEORGE STRAIT, BLAKE SHELTON, TIM MCGRAW, FAITH HILL, MIRANDA LAMBERT, BRAD PAISLEY, DARIUS RUCKER and others has raised $44 million for Hurricane relief in Texas and Florida.

HUNTER HAYES, FRANKIE BALLARD and RYAN KINDER will take part in Picket For A Purpose, an event in downtown Nashville on September 19 to bring in funds and school supplies for those in Florida and Texas impacted by the recent hurricanes.

Several country artists, including DIERKS BENTLEY, LUKE BRYAN, JOHN ANDERSON, TRACY BYRD, CRAIG MORGAN and EASTON CORBIN, will perform as part of the Wonders of Wildlife Museum opening on September 20 in Springfield, Missouri. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush are also rumored to be attending the gala.

GARTH BROOKS, KEITH URBAN and FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE will headline the 2018 Stagecoach Music Festival, April 27-29 in Indio, California. LEE BRICE, JAKE OWEN, KACEY MUSGRAVES, KELSEA BALLERINI and others will also perform during the three day event.

BRANTLEY GILBERT and BRETT ELDREDGE have joined FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE as headliners for Country Jam 2018 near Grand Junction, Colorado. The event, which will run June 14-17, will reveal its fourth headliner and other acts in the coming months.

LUKE COMBS’ Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time headlining tour has sold out most of its 25 dates. The tour begins in October.

While the release date isn’t known, GRANGER SMITH (Backroad Song) is gearing up to release a new album called When The Good Guys Win, which will contain 14 tracks.

On September 22 the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will open the exhibition RAY STEVENS: Everything Is Beautiful, showcasing items from Ray’s 60-year career.

DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 15, 2017

This is day 258 of 2017. There are 107 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Tommy Lee Jones is 71

• Oliver Stone is 71

• Josh Charles (The Good Wife) is 46

• Tom Hardy (The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road) is 40

• Ben Schwartz (House of Lies, Parks and Recreation) is 36

• Heidi Montag (The Hills) is 31

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1916: During the Battle of the Somme in France, tanks were first used in warfare when the British rolled them onto the battlefields.

• 1965: Green Acres made its television debut on CBS, with Eddie Albert as Oliver Wendell Douglas and Eva Gabor as his wife Lisa.

• 1971: Twelve members of the Don’t Make a Wave Committee founded Greenpeace, the environmental organization committed to a green and peaceful world.

• 1978: Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks to win his third World Heavyweight Boxing title.

• 1982: Gannett published the first issue of USA Today. The lead story was the auto accident death of Princess Grace of Monaco.

• 1994: EMI Records, the Beatles’ record company, paid $122,900 for a noisy five-minute tape made July 6, 1957 at a Liverpool church by 16-year-old John Lennon and the Quarrymen. It was Lennon’s first recording.

• 1999: A man who tried to rob a bank in Dresden, Germany, got quite a surprise. Wearing a mask and carrying a gun, the would-be bandit cursed and fled when remodelers told him the bank had moved out several days earlier.

• 2001: President George W. Bush identified Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in the September 11 terrorist attacks and told Americans to prepare for a long, difficult war against terrorism.

• 2008: Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.

• 2013: Japan switched off its last working nuclear reactor.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Clean Up The World Weekend

• Constitution Day/Pledge Across America

• Greenpeace Day

• Hug Your Boss Day

• International Day of Democracy

• LGBT Center Awareness Day

• 8-Track Tape Day

• POW/MIA Recognition Day

• Double Cheeseburger Day

• Linguini Day

UPCOMING

• September 22: First day of fall

• October 3: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• October 31: Halloween (Tuesday)

• November 5: Daylight Saving Time ends

• November 23: Thanksgiving (Thursday)

• December 21: First day of winter

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

• Ed Begley Jr. is 68. David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers is 67. David Copperfield is 61. Mickey Rourke is 61. Jennifer Tilly is 59. Marc Anthony is 49. Amy Poehler is 46. Alexis Bledel is 36. Nick Jonas is 25.

• Responsible Dog Ownership Day. Big Whopper Liar Day. International Coastal Cleanup Day. Eat An Apple Day. Mayflower Day. Gymnastics Day. Guacamole Day. Play-doh Day. Stay Away From Seattle Day. Stepfamily Day. Trail of Tears Commemoration Day. American Legion Day. Collect Rocks Day. Mexican Independence Day. Working Parents Day.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

• Elvira is 66. Rita Rudner is 64. Paul Feig is 55. Baz Luhrmann is 55. Kyle Chandler is 52. Danielle Brooks is 28.

• Batman Day. Citizenship Day. Constitution Day. International Country Music Day. Wife Appreciation Day. Apple Dumpling Day. Women’s Friendship Day.

Blog Archives

DATEBOOK: APRIL 17, 2020

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ON TELEVISION

ENTERTAINMENT

BITS & BREAKS

FUN & GAMES

DATEBOOK: APRIL 20, 2020

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 26, 2019

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ON TELEVISION

ENTERTAINMENT

AUDIO

BITS & BREAKS

FUN & GAMES

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 26, 2019

COUNTRY AUDIO

COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

COUNTRY DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 27, 2019

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 27, 2019

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 15, 2019

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ON TELEVISION

ENTERTAINMENT

AUDIO

BITS & BREAKS

FUN & GAMES

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 18, 2019

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 29, 2017

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ENTERTAINMENT & TV

FUN & GAMES

DATEBOOK: JANUARY 2, 2018

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 28, 2017

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ENTERTAINMENT & TV

FUN & GAMES

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 29, 2017

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 27, 2017

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ENTERTAINMENT & TV

BITS & BREAKS

FUN & GAMES

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 28, 2017

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 26, 2017

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ENTERTAINMENT & TELEVISION

BITS & BREAKS

FUN & GAMES

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 27, 2017

DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 15, 2017

DATEBOOK WEEKEND

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

NEWS ATTACK!

NEWS & NUGGETS

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

ON TELEVISION

ENTERTAINMENT

AUDIO