PRO December 22, 2014

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

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DATEBOOK: DECEMBER 22, 2014

This is day 356 of 2014. There are 9 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Hector Elizondo is 78

• Diane Sawyer is 69

• Rapper Luther Campbell (2 Live Crew) is 54

• Ralph Fiennes is 52

• Lauralee Bell (The Young and the Restless) is 46

• Heather Donahue (The Blair Witch Project) is 41

• Jordin Sparks (American Idol) is 25

• Meghan Trainor is 21

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1937: The Lincoln Tunnel opened to traffic in New York City.

• 1956: Colo was born, the first gorilla to be bred in captivity.

• 1964: Comedian Lenny Bruce was convicted of obscenity.

• 1980: An album entitled The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan was released. The entire LP contained no sound at all.

• 1984: Subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz shot four African-American men on an express train in The Bronx borough of New York City.

• 1993: Singer Michael Jackson, fighting child molestation allegations, issued a video statement in which he said he was “totally innocent of any wrongdoing.”

• 1999: Members of the 900-year-old thatched Norman Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Mautby, England, announced the church would celebrate Christmas for the first time ever with electric lights. An anonymous benefactor had installed lights in the church that had always worshiped by candlelight because it could not afford electricity.

• 2000: Singer Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie were married in Scotland.

• 2001: Richard Reid attempted to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.

• 2005: A $1.7 million diamond-studded cake went on sale in Tokyo, Japan. The sparkling pink creation, on sale at a department store in central Tokyo, featured 223 diamonds — including a 5-carat, heart-shaped stone.

• 2010: The repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, was signed into law by President Barack Obama.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Date Nut Bread Day

UPCOMING

• Christmas Day: December 25 (Thursday)

• New Year’s Day: January 1 (Thursday)

• January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Tuesday)

• January 31: Chinese New Year (Saturday)

• Groundhog Day: February 2 (Monday)

• Valentine’s Day: February 14 (Saturday)

• President’s Day: February 17 (Tuesday)

• More holidays

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NUMBER FOR THE DAY

2 billion: Number of gifts Santa delivers on Christmas Eve, calculated at two per child.

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NEWS ATTACK!

The latest Hobbit movie was the top film at the weekend box office. [Despite threats from North Korea which believes that the hobbit is Hollywood’s way of making fun of Kim Jong-Un’s height.]

John McCain is so angry about the Sony hack that he says that he’s ready to go to war. [That’s the Christmas spirit.]

North Korea is demanding that the U.S. let it join the investigation into the Sony hack. [Together they could play good cop badly deranged cop.]

Research shows that busy beavers, who are responsible for creating lots of shallow ponds that produce methane, are accountable for a good percentage of global warming. [So we could save our planet if we simply had much lazier animals.]

When an astronaut on the ISS needed a socket wrench NASA emailed him the design to print one with the station’s 3D printer. [They also emailed instructions: righty tighty, lefty loosey.]

Someone in Kansas City, Missouri, put his gold tooth into a Salvation Army kettle. [Anything to stop that bell.]

A new study estimates that as many as 1 out of every 20 people is addicted to the Internet. [Symptoms include a large portion of the body covered by a YouTube tattoo.]

The Miss World competition says it is dropping the swimsuit competition. [Contestants will now be given 30 minutes to build a working smarthphone app.]

A deceased World War II Navy captain is finally being given credit for sinking a German U-boat. At the time he said that he had done so, but the Navy said that he hadn’t. [Thank goodness for instant replay.]

Nebraska and Oklahoma are asking the supreme court to make neighboring state Colorado stop selling marijuana. [Or share.]

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NEWS & NUGGETS

YANKEES WILL PAY FOR EDUCATION OF CHILDREN OF NYPD COP _ Yankee owner George Steinbrenner died in 2010, but his appreciation for the men and women in blue who protect New York City lives on. For 32 years, Steinbrenner’s Yankee Silver Shield Foundation has provided for the education of the children of New York City police officers, firemen and Port Authority employees who died in the line of duty, and will do so for the family of NYPD officer Rafael Ramos, gunned down by a cold-blooded killer Saturday along with his partner, Wenjian Liu. The foundation will pay for the education of Ramos’ son, 13-year-old Jaden, and another son who is in college. Liu, who was recently married, had no children.

… Steinbrenner started his foundation in 1982 after seeing a news account of four children flanking their mother and folding an American flag at the funeral of their father, an NYPD officer who had been killed in the line of duty. The foundation has paid for the educations of thousands of children of fallen NYPD, FDNY, state police and Port Authority workers in the tri-state area, as well as 700 children who lost a parent in the terrorists attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

NORTH KOREA ACCUSES U.S. OF HELPING PRODUCE ‘THE INTERVIEW’ _ North Korea is accusing the U.S. government of having direct involvement in the production of The Interview. Kim Jong-un’s regime also made what appeared to be threats against the White House and Pentagon. In a statement published Sunday North Korea’s Policy Department of the National Defense Commission described a “counteraction” plan that hints its government is capable of more than derailing “just a single movie production.” Although the country continues to deny any involvement in the massive Sony hack, the report said North Korea is “fully ready to stand in confrontation with the U.S. in all war spaces, including cyber warfare space to blow up those citadels.” It added, “Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole U.S. mainland, the cesspool of terrorism.”

KIM JONG UN COMPUTER GAME MOVING FORWARD _ Sony may have had to cancel The Interview, but the Kim Jong Un video game Glorious Leader! is still moving forward, now with extra support from crowd-sourcing. The game shows North Korea’s dictator taking his revenge on Seth Rogen, riding a unicorn, even playing some b-ball with Dennis Rodman. The game’s creator says he does not fear a cyberattack like at Sony, because his game makes Kim Jong Un look “totally awesome.” The game’s description says it all: “Glorious Leader!, a stunning marvel of cutting-edge 16-bit graphics and sound, charts the incredible, but true tale of the defeat of the entire imperialist American army at the hands of Kim Jong Un.”

… The old-fashioned side scrolling run ‘n gun game features seven levels of Kim Jong Un shooting down all the capitalist enemies of North Korea, including one where he rides a unicorn. The Kim Jong Un game was supposed to come out in 2014, but now it’s looking like it won’t make the deadline. So the developer has turned to Kickstarter for some additional cash.

FAST FOOD IS BAD FOR THE BRAIN _ Fast food is already blamed for all sorts of health problems, from obesity to bad skin, and now a new study has found that it could actually slow down the brain. According to research (Ohio State University), children who eat the most fast food are found to have poorer scores in tests for math, science and reading. One theory suggested by researchers is that a lack of iron — which is associated with fast food — leads to a slowing in development of certain processes in the brain. Another idea is that diets high in fat and added sugar have a negative impact on the learning process.

SPACE STATION CREW GETS NEW RATCHET OVER EMAIL _ There may be no corner hardware store at the International Space Station, but that doesn’t mean the astronauts can’t get what they need. In a first, the space station crew was able to craft a new tool in space, using their specially designed Zero-G 3D printer and a design emailed from the ground. The tool, a ratchet, was designed by Made in Space, the California company that created the 3D printer onboard the orbiting space lab. The 3D printer has been used on the space station before, but only for designs that were tested and loaded before it left Earth. This time, the tool was designed and tested on the ground and then emailed to the printer, which spit it out in about four hours. A prototype was printed at a lab in California and sent to NASA for safety inspection and then the design file was sent to the orbiting printer.

HERO POLICE OFFICER PRAISED AFTER RUNNING TO HOSPITAL WITH SICK BABY _ A hero police officer’s quick thinking and even quicker feet helped save a baby’s life. Steve Norton was on patrol in south London, England, when he responded to an emergency call, reporting that a baby had stopped breathing. When he arrived at the caller’s house just minutes later, he found baby Harrison Paine unresponsive and clearly in need of urgent medical attention. Realizing time was of the essence and fearing waiting for an ambulance could lose precious seconds, Norton picked the tiny baby up in his arms and sprinted to a nearby hospital. Despite the fact he was wearing full police body armor, Norton managed to get there in enough time to allow the medics to stabilize the little boy and save his life.

DRIVE-THRU EMPLOYEE GETS $10,000 MINK COAT AS A TIP _ Most drive-thru employees do not get tips at all, but one woman received a huge gratuity from a customer. Cheryl Semien was working at the drive-thru at a Texas fast food burger place (Whataburger) when a customer drove up to the window wearing a silver mink coat. Semien complimented the woman on the coat, and the woman took it off and handed it to her, right through the drive-thru window. Semien said the woman was a total stranger who she’d never seen before. The best part: it was Semien’s birthday.

ETSY SELLING PILLS THAT WILL LET YOU POOP GLITTER FOR CHRISTMAS _ Etsy is now selling pills that will make you poop glitter. The items on Etsy are actually called Glitter Pills, and they put as many warnings as humanly possible on it. Obviously, they are doing everything they can not to be sued. The FAQ at the bottom of the Etsy page has this:

Q. Are these safe to eat?
A. Probably not, if you decide to eat them, you assume all liability and risk that comes with that decision. IN OTHER WORDS DO NOT EAT GLITTERPILLS!!!

… According to the Etsy seller, the point of Glitter Pills is not to make you poop glitter, but just because they “look awesome!!!” and are a “unique product that many people simply find fascinating.” | link

THIS RECIPE IS WORTH $1 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PILLSBURY _ Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters is the winner of the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off — and the $1 million prize. Its ingredients include refrigerated pie crust, vegetable shortening, peanut butter and some salted cocktail peanuts. Since 1949, amateur bakers and dough enthusiasts around America have participated in the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition. While the rules and prizes have been tweaked over the decades, this year, to be eligible to win the grand prize of one million smackers, applicants were required to use at least two ingredients from an approved list, which includes a bunch of classic Pillsbury products and secondary brands, like Green Giant and Jif Peanut Butter, and no more than seven ingredients total.

… The creator of Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters is Beth Royals of Richmond, Virginia. 2014 was the first year that voting was open to the public.

103-YEAR-OLD GOLFER NABS 8th HOLE-IN-ONE _ There’s a lot of skill and a little luck that goes in scoring a hole-in-one in golf, but when you’ve been playing for 75 years you increase your chance. Gus Andreone is 103 and just shot his eighth hole-in-one while playing a golf course in Sarasota, Florida. If the PGA certifies it he’ll have beat the record of a 102-year-old woman who did it in 2007.

POLL SHOWS DRUNKEST DAYS OF THE YEAR _ During the course of approximately the past year, Americans got drunkest on two days: New Year’s Eve and the Saturday of St. Patrick’s Day weekend. That’s according to a study released by BACtrack, a company that makes smartphone-linked breathalyzers — so the results should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt. As a writer for the Washington Post said, “if you have a portable breathalyzer that you bring with you wherever you go, you probably drink more than the average person.” Still, the results of the study may offer some insight into American drinking trends.

… Among the other biggest drinking days were January 25, February 15, and Super Bowl Sunday.

COUPLE THOUGHT THEY ADOPTED A MINI-PIG, BUT IT GREW UP _ Life can sometimes give you a blessing in disguise. When Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter in Canada adopted Esther the pig, they thought she was a pygmy piglet. Two years and 667 pounds later, their “tiny piglet” turned out to be a full-size commercial pig, but the love and friendship that they experienced from Esther had already changed their lives for the better. When they realized how intelligent and friendly Esther was, they couldn’t stomach the idea that they were eating other pigs that were just as smart and friendly, so they became vegans. They were so deeply affected by their life with Esther, in fact, that they were inspired to devote their loves to building an animal shelter. For funding they turned to the Internet, where they’ve raised over $440,000 on Indiegogo.

CHINA TOPS WORLD IN INSTANT NOODLE CONSUMPTION _ China led the world this year in consumption of instant noodles with a whopping 46.2 billion servings. The report, issued by the International Ramen Manufacturers Association. The average resident of China scarfed down around 34 servings of instant noodles. China’s No.1 spot was followed by Indonesia (14.9 billion), Japan (5.5 billion) and Vietnam (5.2 billion).

WORLD’S HIGHEST EVER CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT _ A gospel choir set a new world record for the highest altitude carol concert when they sang on a flight from London’s Gatwick airport to Geneva. Airline Easyjet enlisted The ACM Gospel Choir for the concert which lasted 15 minutes and took place at an altitude of 39,000 feet.

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WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN SLAPPED GRANDMOTHER AFTER FACEBOOK FRIEND REQUEST DENIED _ Florida (Clearwater) deputies arrested Rachel Anne Hayes for aggravated battery on an elderly person. According to authorities, Hayes slapped her 72-year-old grandmother because she refused to accept her friend request.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: INEBRIATED ELF ARRESTED FOR DRUNK DRIVING _ New Jersey police found a 23-year-old man behind the wheel of a car in the parking lot of a Target. The car’s engine was running and the tunes were blaring, but the guy was reportedly asleep on the steering wheel. He also had an open can of beer in the car with him. And he was wearing an Elf on the Shelf costume.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GLASS EYE MESSES UP FAKE I.D. _ Police in Germany pulled a man over for drunk driving. So he decided to pass himself off as someone else. Police say the driver’s details seemed to be correct when he told them who he was — until their records showed the man matching his description was registered as having a glass eye. A flashlight shone in face soon disproved this, however. His eye, of course, responded to stimulus. So then he said he used to have a glass eye, but didn’t any more.

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ON TELEVISION

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

SEASON FINALE: THE GREAT CHRISTMAS LIGHT FIGHT (8p ET, ABC) — The last families compete in the hopes of winning $50,000.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: A SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CHRISTMAS (8p ET, NBC) — Holiday-theme sketches from SNL are featured in this 2-hour special.

GOTHAM (8p ET, FOX) — Repeat

THE IHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL 2014 (8p ET, CW) — Repeat

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (8:15p ET, ESPN) — The Bengals (9-4) host the Denver Broncos (11-3) in Cincinnati.

MIKE & MOLLY (8:30p ET, CBS) — New

SCORPION (9p ET, CBS) — Repeat

SLEEPY HOLLOW (9p ET, FOX) — Repeat

MAJOR CRIMES (9p ET, TNT) — New

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

CASTLE (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

STATE OF AFFAIRS (10p ET, NBC) — New

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ENTERTAINMENT

FINAL HOBBIT GOES OUT WITH $56.2 MILLION WIN _ Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” finale went out on top at the box office, debuting with $56.2 million over the weekend and taking in $90.6 million since opening Wednesday. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies had the weakest opening of Jackson’s six JRR Tolkien adventures. Opening in a distant second place was Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, another final installment. The comedy took in $17.3 million.

SONY WANTS ‘THE INTERVIEW’ OUT SOON _ Sony wants to release The Interview as soon as it’s able, but reports that the studio is debuting the movie on its free online streaming service Crackle are false. A lawyer for the studio said Sunday The Interview will be distributed: “How it’s going to be distributed, I don’t think anybody knows quite yet. But it’s going to be distributed.” On Saturday, the New York Post reported that The Interview would be offered on Crackle, but a source said that many factors and options are being weighed at the moment.

ANONYMOUS CLAIMS THEY WILL RELEASE ‘THE INTERVIEW’ THEMSELVES _ In a series of tweets the hacker collective Anonymous says they will release “The Interview” to the masses if Sony won’t. A few of the tweets read: “Seriously @Sony we warned you. We infiltrated your systems long before North Korea. We thought you’d take it as a warning and fix your s@#t.” and “We’re not with either side, we just want to watch the movie too and soon you too will be joining us. Sorry, @SonyPictures.”

SONY HACK: IDRIS ELBA SHOULD BE THE NEXT JAMES BOND _ Amy Pascal wants Idris Elba to play James Bond. Pascal, head of Sony’s film division, said in a leaked email from early this year: “Idris should be the next bond.” Daniel Craig is contracted for at least one more Bond flick after Spectre, which comes out next November. However, Craig has publicly expressed ambivalence about his continued participation in the series.

TOM BROKAW SAYS HIS CANCER IS IN REMISSION _ Veteran broadcast journalist Tom Brokaw said in a holiday letter to his NBC family that his cancer is in remission. Brokaw, who’s 74, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting blood cells in the bone marrow, last winter.

DISH NETWORK DROPS FOX NEWS, FOX BUSINESS _ Fox News and Fox Business were dropped from Dish Network Saturday after they couldn’t reach an agreement on distribution. Dish is accusing Fox of using the contract negotiations to try and leverage fees for sports and entertainment channels with no relation to the Fox News and Fox Business agreements. Fox said their terms were customary for their distribution renewal and other providers are willing to step up.

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN REVEALS NEWBORN SON’S NAME _ A week after giving birth, Kourtney Kardashian was ready to introduce her newborn baby to the world. The reality star revealed the name of her second son and shared a picture of his little fingers. Kourtney said on Instagram that her new baby’s name is Reign Aston Disick. Reign is Kardashian and longtime partner Scott Disick’s third child.

MUHAMMAD ALI RECOVERING AFTER BEING HOSPITALIZED WITH PNEUMONIA _ Boxing champ Muhammad Ali is recovering, after being admitted to an undisclosed hospital Saturday with pneumonia. A family spokesman says Ali, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, is being treated by his team of doctors and is in stable condition.

NEW JERSEY STRIP CLUB USED IN THE SOPRANOS ROBBED OF $30K _ Authorities say the northern New Jersey strip club that was used for filming of The Sopranos has been robbed of $30,000. Lodi, New Jersey, police say that two men with shotguns robbed Satin Dolls early Sunday morning. The men fled after the robbery. The club stood in as The Bada Bing Club on the hit HBO show.

DAVID SCHWIMMER WILL PLAY ROBERT KARDASHIAN IN O.J. SIMPSON MINISERIES _ Ryan Murphy’s real-crime anthology series “American Crime Story” has finally found its lawyer. David Schwimmer is the latest actor to join “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” the first season of the upcoming series that will follow Simpson’s 1995 murder trial. The “Friends” alum will portray Robert Kardashian, Simpson’s friend and lawyer during the case. The 10-episode first season will star Cuba Gooding Jr. as the former football player and Sarah Paulson as head prosecutor Marcia Clark.

LANCE BASS MARRIES _ Lance Bass said “Bye Bye Bye” to being a bachelor, marrying Michael Turchin Saturday. The wedding will air on E! in February.

ELTON JOHN AND DAVID FURNISH GET MARRIED IN ENGLAND _ British pop music icon Elton John posted on Instagram several photos from his wedding to his longtime partner David Furnish Sunday. Among the #ShareTheLove images were ones showing John, 67, and Furnish, 52, signing their marriage license, then exchanging vows. One of the sweetest photos captured their nearly 2-year-old son Elijah standing between them and holding a stuffed bunny. John and Furnish have been together since 1993. They formed a civil partnership in 2005 and now have two sons. Elijah’s big brother is Zachary, who will turn 4 on Christmas Day.

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AUDIO

Audio Archives

PREGNANCY CRAVINGS

Always a solid topic for phone calls. If you know of someone who’s pregnant, share with your listeners their weird pregnancy craving — then ask for moms to share theirs. » download  And from the archives, two more files of real callers: File 1, File 2.

KIDS SAY HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS

A short montage of kids saying “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” etc. » download

WHAT KIDS HANG ON THE CHRISTMAS TREE

A bunch of kids saying what they put on their Christmas trees. » download

With a funny finish, here’s the same bunch of kids. » download

FUN DOG NAMES

From Angus to Ziggy and everything in between, Rover.com dug into its database to discover the most popular dog names of 2014. Top Male Dog Names were Max, Buddy, Charlie, Jack, Cooper, Rocky, Toby, Tucker, Jake and Bear. Top Female Dog Names are Bella, Lucy, Daisy, Molly, Lola, Sophie, Sadie, Maggie, Chloe and Bailey.

… The most popular category for dogs names (behind people names) was food. Popular dogs names in the food category: Coconut, Kale, Guinness, Vino, Mochi and Whiskey. (More info here.) » download

KIDS: WHAT DO YOU PUT OUT FOR SANTA ON CHRISTMAS EVE?

We asked kids what they put out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Good for launching a phoner, a Facebook topic, or for some mushy Christmas Day promos in between the tunes. » download

COMFORT FOODS

It’s comfort food season. What’s yours? Here are four calls to help with the phones. » download

GRANDMA GOT MOLESTED AT THE AIRPORT

Thanks to Andy R. for reminding us this was on YouTube: Grandma Got Molested at the Airport

CHRISTMAS CLIPS

Our annual clips package continues to grow. Loads of offbeat, funny Christmas drops — updated for 2014. » download

CHARITY CLIPS

Got a charity event or fundraiser coming up? Here are some random clips. » download

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BITS & BREAKS

TOP TEN MOVIES

1. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, $56.2 million
2. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, $17.3 million
3. Annie, $16.3 million
4. Exodus: Gods and Kings, $8 million
5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, $7.7 million
6. Wild, $4.1 million
7. Top Five, $3.57 million
8. Big Hero 6, $3.55 million
9. Penguins of Madagascar, $3.52 million
10. P.K., $3.4 million

… One year ago this week the number one movie was The Hobbit 2.

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

… Ten years ago this week the number one movie was Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

… Twenty years ago this week the number one movie was Dumb and Dumber.

IN THEATERS THURSDAY

THE GAMBLER (R)  score/reviews

• Lit professor and gambler Jim Bennett’s debt causes him to borrow money from his mother and a loan shark. Further complicating his situation is his relationship with one of his students. Will Bennett risk his life for a second chance?
• Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, John Goodman, Brie Larson

INTO THE WOODS (PG)  score/reviews

• A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
• Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Christine Baranski

UNBROKEN (PG-13)  score/reviews

• After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he’s caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
• Jack O’Connell, Garrett Hedlund

THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH (PG-13, OPENS FRIDAY)  score/reviews

• 40 years after the first haunting at Eel Marsh House, a group of children evacuated from WWII London arrive, awakening the house’s darkest inhabitant.
• Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvine

WEEKLY HOT LIST

On holiday break.

NOTE FOR SANTA

Dear Santa,

Please give me a big fat bank account and a slim body. Please don’t mix those two up like you did last year. Thanks.

MORE CREATIVE EXCUSES FOR MISSING WORK

Managers share more of the creative excuses they’ve heard from employees who missed work.

• “I’m too drunk to drive to work.”

• “I accidentally flushed my keys down the toilet.”

• “I accidentally drove through the automatic garage door before it opened.”

• “I’m too fat to get into my work pants.”

• “I cut my fingernails too short, they’re bleeding and I have to go to the doctor.”

• “I forgot I was getting married today.”

• “My son accidentally fell asleep next to wet cement in our backyard. His foot fell in and we can’t get it out.”

• “I was walking my dog and slipped on a toad in my driveway and hurt my back.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE SHOWER THAT MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO SING?

According to Ask Yahoo, the sound of a person’s voice actually improves in the small, confined space of the shower. When you sing in an open area, you “basically only hear your voice as it is produced.” However, in the shower, the sound waves reflect off the walls, producing a much richer sound, improved bass, and more volume.

… Some theories are less scientific. The book “Sounding the Silence” believes people are inclined to sing in the shower because they feel safe and relaxed. “The quiet solitude creates a space in which our spirit can freely express itself.” Or, to put it another way, a shower’s privacy allows people to relax and let loose.

PHONER: Have a shower sing-off. Listeners put their smartphone on the counter, press speaker-phone, then hop in the shower and sing their favorite song.

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FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: In a survey, 6% of employees say they feel obligated to do this. (Get their boss a holiday gift)

TRIVIA: In Norway if you own one of these you have to pay an annual licensing fee of almost $500. (Television)

BUZZWORD!

The buzz word is “cat”.

The answers to my clues contains the buzz word. For example, if the buzz word is “ball” you might get the clue “needed to for every NBA game” to help you guess “basketball”.

• An unoriginal person who mimics others. (Copycat)

• A short sleep. (Catnap)

• A swimming animal with whiskers. (Catfish)

• Batman’s female foe. (Cat Woman)

• To spill a secret. (Let the cat out of the bag)

• Underground cemetery. (Catacomb)

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JOKE OF THE DAY

Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by St. Peter at the pearly gates. “In honor of this holy season,” St. Peter said, “you must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven.” The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on and said, “It represents a candle.” St. Peter lets him pass through the pearly gates. The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, “They’re bells.” St. Peter let him pass through the pearly gates. The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women’s panties. St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, “And just what do those symbolize?” The man replied, “They’re Carol’s.”

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Since North Korea’s pretty much taken over the national media, it’s time to bring back Funky Korea.

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

I’m so rich my boat has a boat.

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LAST MINUTE ITEMS

• Two idea-packed books for sales, promotions and stunts in 2015. Here’s one, here’s the other.

• Conversations with My 4-Year-Old: Shopping

• 2014’s Best Video Clips

• Artist creates works of art simply by adding signage to things that are already there.

• Newest Mad Max: Fury Road trailer cranks up the action.

• Parking lot incompetence.

• Esther Anderson just wanted to sleep, but her baby had other plans.

• Trailer: Terminator: Genisys.

• Star Wars: Episode VII teaser trailer (Michael Bay Edition).

• Poo Doh.

• Download Our Boring Radio Station App.

• In one minute, this model goes through 100 years’ worth of hair and makeup trends.

• Random request generator.

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