PRO February 6, 2015

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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: FEBRUARY 6, 2015

This is day 37 of 2015. There are 328 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Zsa Zsa Gabor is 98

• Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H) is 76

• NBC news man Tom Brokaw is 75

• Singer Fabian is 72

• Singer Natalie Cole is 65

• Robert Townsend (The Parent ‘Hood) is 58

• Kathy Najimy (Veronica’s Closet, King of the Hill) is 58

• Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses is 53

• Rick Astley is 49

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1895: George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland. “The Sultan of Swat” hit 714 home runs in 22 major league seasons and played in 10 World Series.

• 1926: The National Football League (NFL) adopted a rule that made players ineligible for competition until their college classes graduate.

• 1932: Dog sled racing happened for the first time in Olympic competition. The demonstration program was presented by the United States and Canada.

• 1956: St. Patrick Center, the first circular school building in the United States, opened in Kankakee, Illinois.

• 1959: Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments filed the first patent for an integrated circuit.

• 1971: Alan Shepard became the first person to hit a golf ball on the Moon.

• 1981: Former Beatles Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison teamed up once again to record a musical tribute to John Lennon. The result of that session became All Those Years Ago. The song went to #2 on the pop music chart.

• 1985: The French mineral water company Perrier debuted its first new product in 123 years. On grocery shelves and in trendy establishments, one could find water with a twist of lemon, lime or orange added to the well-established popular product line.

• 1998: Washington National Airport was renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.

• 1999: Excerpts of former White House intern Monica Lewinsky’s videotaped testimony were shown at President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.

• 2000: First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

• 2003: ABC’s 20/20 aired a British documentary on Michael Jackson in which the singer revealed he sometimes let children sleep in his bed.

• 2006: In Hungary, an ice-skater who fell through the ice and into a freezing lake managed to survive by holding on to the edge of the ice with her teeth for ten minutes. She had to use her teeth because hands were stiff from the cold.

• 2012: Queen Elizabeth II marked her 60th anniversary of becoming British monarch, becoming only the second to do so.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Canadian Maple Syrup Day

• Bubble Gum Day

• Girl Scout Cookie Day

• Wear Red Day

• Working Naked Day

• Chopstix Day

UPCOMING

• February 14: Valentine’s Day (Saturday)

• February 16: President’s Day (Monday)

• February 19: Chinese New Year (Thursday)

• March 8: Daylight Saving Time begins (Sunday)

• March 17: St. Patrick’s Day (Tuesday)

• March 20: Spring begins (Friday, 6:45p ET)

• More holidays

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DATEBOOK WEEKEND

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7

• James Spader (The Blacklist) is 55. Garth Brooks is 53. Chris Rock is 50. Jason Gedrick (Windfall, Boomtown) is 48. Ashton Kutcher is 37. Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) is 30.

• Take Your Child To The Library Day; Send a Card to a Friend Day; Ballet Day; Ice Cream for Breakfast Day; Fettuccine Alfredo Day.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8

• Composer-conductor John Williams is 83. Nick Nolte is 74. Mary Steenburgen (Back to the Future Part III, The Help) is 62. Vince Neil of Motley Crue is 54. Seth Green is 41. Jim Parrack (True Blood) is 34. Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live) is 31.

• Potato Lover’s Day; Boy Scout Day; Kite Flying Day (in the middle of winter?); Opera Day; Take Your Child To The Library Day; World Marriage Day.

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NUMBER FOR THE DAY

700: Species of butterfly in North America.

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NEWS ATTACK!

Scientists report developing a new kind of steel that’s as strong as titanium. [They’re testing it now in Chris Christie’s suspenders. ]

In the wake of her racist emails becoming public, Amy Pascal has lost her executive position at Sony Pictures, however, she will still remain with the company. [Because apparently the board of directors sees a difference between a racist and a racist who makes the company piles of money.]

NBC’s Brian Williams has apologized for saying that he was once on a helicopter that came under fire when he wasn’t.  [He also clarified that he didn’t actually invent the Internet or single serve coffee brew cups.]

An American Airlines flight attendant was arrested when he was discovered with 700 pounds of coins stolen from UNICEF in his car. [He claimed that the coins were his, and that he was just on his way to the laundromat.]

A masterpiece by paint Paul Cezanne sold for $20.5 million. [$19 million with coupon.]

The world’s oldest man turned 112. [And he still has a better memory than Brian Williams.]

United is considering adding an additional seat per row to its airplanes. [Because the last time you flew you looked way too comfortable.]

When a Florida (Casselberry) mom recognized her own 18-year-old son from a police news feed she woke him up and called the police. [“And before you go, Mr. Bigshot, I want every inch of your room cleaned!”]

Harvard has now outlawed sex between professors and underclassmen. [Well, now how are you supposed to get passing grades?]

A new study finds that no matter how important a woman’s job is when she gets home she still ends up doing most of the housework. [So President Hillary Clinton would still probably have to spend her weekends raking busted drones off the White House lawn.]

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NEWS & NUGGETS

GOOGLE AND MATTEL SEND OUT TOY-TEASING PRESS INVITE _ Google and Mattel are tinkering up something for your viewing pleasure. On Thursday, Mattel sent out a mysterious invitation for an event on February 13 in New York City. The invitation alludes to the classic View-Master toy. The invitation reads: “Mattel invites you to view what’s possible with exclusive announcement and product debut.” | Classic View-Master commercial

FATHER HANDCUFFS SELF TO DAUGHTER IN CROWDED TRAIN STATION _ A father who deliberately handcuffed himself to his 6-year-old daughter at a Beijing train station said he did so to prevent her from getting lost. Photos show the man handcuffed to his daughter as the pair waited to board a train.

… The father said he decided on the unconventional tether because his daughter suffers from poor eyesight and he feared she would get lost in the crowd or be abducted by human traffickers. The father also tagged his daughter with an ID necklace bearing her name and his cell phone number.

COCA-COLA SUSPENDS AUTOMATED TWEET CAMPAIGN _ Coca-Cola was forced to suspend its automated tweet #MakeItHappy campaign — designed to transform mean tweets and negativity on the Internet into cute images — after it was tricked into quoting Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf. The campaign launched during The Super Bowl with a 60-second commercial. Coke’s social media campaign urged Twitter users to send the soda company negative tweets using a #MakeItHappy hashtag. Coke then transformed the tweets into art images using ASCII lettering code. But after seeing that Coke had turned the “Fourteen Words” white nationalism slogan into a cute dog, tech blog Gawker decided to have some fun with the campaign and began tweeting more passages from Hitler’s book.

COMMUNITY RALLIES TO HELP MAN WHO SHOVELED SNOW FOR FREE _ An upstate New York community is paying it forward after an Amsterdam man shoveled out strangers for free. Despite being unemployed, without a car, and sleeping on the floor, when the snow hit Amsterdam Monday, 21-year-old Stephen Madelon walked around town offering to shovel driveways for free. Madelon says that since his story aired, he has been floored with messages of thanks and offerings of help for him and his young family. Before posting his offer to shovel for free on a garage sale Facebook page (Fulton-Montgomery County), Madelon had another post asking for a mattress so his fiance no longer had to sleep on the floor. Not only does his family now have a new mattress, but they also have a kitchen table, cupcakes, and many other items as offering to thank him for his selfless act. He says that hundreds of people touched by his act have reached out, offering everything from a new bed, job offers, even trying to get him money for a new car.

RESTAURANT THAT ONLY SERVES BACON, EGG AND CHEESE SANDWICHES _ Niche food trucks are the thing, especially in bigger cities. You got your food truck over here that does things with waffles; your food truck over there that does things with bagels. Now a restaurant in New York City will borrow the focused-food idea and sell nothing but egg sandwiches. BEC’s claim-to-fame will be the Bacon, Egg and Cheese. And because it’s NYC the base BEC will run you about $7.

GAME OF THRONES RESTAURANT OPENS _ Grab your wine goblets — HBO is opening a Game of Thrones-themed restaurant in London. If you watch the show mostly for the sex and violence and insane plot twists, this may not hold much interest for you. But if you’re a super-geek know how big of a role food plays in the series, especially in the books. Apparently the pop-up restaurant will be available for your dining pleasure only from February 13 to 15 to coincide with the release of Season 4 on DVD and Blu-Ray. Throughout the three days, three Westeros-themed banquets will supposedly take place.

APHRODISIAC MEAL FOR VALENTINE’S DAY _ A London chef has created a menu featuring the top ten aphrodisiac ingredients for Valentine’s Day. The six-course meal (at London’s DSTRKT restaurant) starts with a champagne cocktail followed closely by a plate of oysters, a salmon and passion fruit tartare served with a quail’s egg yolk. Finishing off the meal is a sultry “chocolate and caviar” creation. The top 10 aphrodisiac ingredients voted by Brits were:

1. Chocolate
2. Red wine
3. Oysters
4. Whipped cream
5. Asparagus
6. Avocados
7. Ice cream
8. Hot chillies
9. Salmon
10. Bananas

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WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN FOUND AFTER MAKING 250-MILE TREK IN WRONG DIRECTION _ A missing woman has finally been reunited with her family after she mistakenly walked 250 miles in the wrong direction attempting to get back home. Police found the woman 79 days after she was reported missing. Police approached the 47-year-old believing she was homeless. She told officers her troubles began after a November visit to see her daughter at college. Shortly after they parted, she was robbed of her wallet, which contained her train ticket home. She decided to make the 300-mile trip home on foot because she didn’t want to trouble her daughter.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SALSA SPILLED ON HIGHWAY NEAR DINOSAURS GIFT SHOP _ A stretch of California highway was doused with salsa after a big rig overturned. The truck was hauling 40,000 pounds of the condiment. I really like this part of the story: The accident occurred between the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa and the World’s Biggest Dinosaurs Gift Store.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SUV CRASHES INTO HOTEL LOBBY, PULLS A U-TURN _ Security footage from a Chinese hotel captured the moment an alleged drunken driver crashed through the revolving doors. The video shows the sport-utility vehicle crash through the revolving door, drive around the lobby with the doors still attached to its front, perform a U-turn and head back out the door. The man caused an estimated $48,000 worth of damage to the hotel lobby.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PRISON INMATE GIVES GUARDS THE SLIP AT PIZZA HUT _ Everyone knows that rumble in your stomach means that it’s time to eat, but federal prison guards ended up paying a hefty price for quieting their hunger pangs. Police in Cartersville, Georgia, are searching for an inmate who managed to escape while a prison transport van was stopped at a Pizza Hut.

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ON TELEVISION

UNDERCOVER BOSS (8p ET, CBS) — In this new edition, the chief executive officer of Armando Montelongo Companies hires a body double while under cover.

CONSTANTINE (8p ET, NBC) — New

LAST MAN STANDING (8p ET, ABC) — New

WORLD’S FUNNIEST FAILS (8p ET, FOX) — New

HART OF DIXIE (8p ET, CW) — New

COLD JUSTICE (8p ET, TNT) — New

CRISTELA (8:30p ET, ABC) — New

HAWAII FIVE-O (9p ET, CBS) — Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) guest stars in this new episode.

GRIMM (9p ET, NBC) — Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) guest stars in this new episode.

GLEE (9p ET, FOX) — New

SHARK TANK (9p ET, ABC) — New

BLUE BLOODS (10p ET, CBS) — New

20/20 (10p ET, ABC) — New

DATELINE (10p ET, NBC) — New

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ENTERTAINMENT

HAS BOBBIE KRISTINA BROWN BEEN TAKEN OFF LIFE SUPPORT? _ CHECK THE WEB FOR UPDATES BEFORE USING! Bobbi Kristina Brown is not dead despite reports that her family has chosen to take her off of life support today. According to TMZ, that decision is coming. The report states that the family is waiting for Bobbi Kristina’s grandmother, Cissy, to arrive at the hospital to say her goodbyes. Cissy, Whitney Houston’s mother, was expected to arrive at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta Thursday afternoon.

BOBBY BROWN’S WIFE IS PREGNANT WITH HIS SIXTH CHILD _ Bobby Brown is dealing with one of the worst moments in his life right now with the heartbreaking situation his daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown is in, but there is some light in the future for him. Bobby’s wife, Alicia Etheredge, is 4 months pregnant.

JACK BLACK TO PERFORM ON THE OSCARS TELECAST _ Jack Black will perform at this month’s Oscars ceremony, but the show’s producers aren’t saying exactly what he will be doing. What they have said: “Jack Black is a complete original comic voice and we’re beyond thrilled that he has agreed to join the Oscars show in a very special sequence.” The Oscars will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris February 22 (ABC).

BILL BELICHICK TO VISIT DAVID LETTERMAN _ Bill Belichick, head coach of the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots, will visit the Late Show with David Letterman Wednesday. Belichick has been head coach of the Patriots since 2000 and during that time the team has had four Super Bowl titles.

TOM HANKS AND WILSON REUNITE _ Tom Hanks reunited with Wilson the volleyball at Wednesday’s New York Rangers hockey game. The Castaway co-stars had a nice moment together, 15 years after their hit film about a man stranded on a deserted island. After acknowledging the crowd’s cheers, Hanks’ eyes lit up when someone tossed him Wilson. He then held up his old pal while chanting, “Let’s go, Rangers!”

RYAN REYNOLDS SAYS HIS NEW BABY IS “TOTALLY AVERAGE” _ During an appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael Thursday morning, Blake Lively husband Ryan Reynold gushed about the joys — sleepless nights and all — of having a newborn in the house. Ryan said, “I’m happily not getting any sleep. These days, I think of blinking as taking tiny little naps all day.” Ryan also shared that he’s not like other new parents: “Everyone thinks their baby is a genius. People find it delightfully refreshing when I tell them, ‘My baby? Totally average. Like, 100 percent average.'”

DUSTIN DIAMOND’S SAVED BY THE BELL REUNION ABSENCE EXPLAINED _ In case you missed it, Saved By the Bell’s Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), Slater (Mario Lopez) Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley) and Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins) all reunited on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. But where was Dustin Diamond as Screech? Was his absence due to his recent legal troubles stemming from an alleged bar fight? His attorney says no. Dustin couldn’t make it to The Tonight Show because he had “prior commitments,” including comedy gigs.

JENNIFER LAWRENCE POSES NUDE WITH A SNAKE FOR VANITY FAIR _ Jennifer Lawrence has posed with a snake. The 24-year-old Oscar-winner stripped down for Vanity Fair magazine, posing completely nude except for a strategically placed Columbian red-tailed boa constrictor draped across her body. | IMAGE

ELLEN BARKIN ENGAGED THANKS TO GEORGE CLOONEY’S WIFE _ Actress Ellen Barkin has found love again — and she has George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin Clooney to thank. Barkin is engaged to Alamuddin’s colleague, a British lawyer. Barkin and her man got engaged over the holidays, after meeting at Alamuddin and Clooney’s September wedding.

CARNIVAL CRUISE SUPER BOWL AD GETS PARODY _ Carnival Cruise Line’s Super Bowl ad featuring President John F. Kennedy’s voice has inspired a parody. The original, called Come Back to the Sea, uses an actual Kennedy speech to try and lure people onto a cruise ship. The parody video is called Sea You in Hell and addresses the “joy” of being on a cruise. The parody commercial announcer says: “I don’t know what it is that makes us want to go on a cruise, to trap ourselves with 1,000 other doomed souls. … We’re inside a floating prison and we paid to be here.”

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AUDIO

Audio Archives

FRIDAY THE 13th

Here comes another Friday the 13th! Here are some drops to use in promos, bumpers, show intros, etc. » download

HOW DID YOU PICK YOUR CHILD’S NAME?

Superstar singer Carrie Underwood is having a baby (in April) and says she and husband Mike Fisher can’t agree on a name. Share the story of how you got your name, or how you named your child, then open the phones. Here are two calls to help. » download

SNOW CLIPS

Here’s an updated package of snow-related clips. » download

STRANGE THINGS YOU’VE SEEN WHILE DRIVING!

I saw a guy reading a book on the highway yesterday. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen someone do while driving? Here are four calls to help with the phones. » download  Visit the Pro Audio page and click the Phone Starters Archive link for another batch of calls on this topic.

PREGNANCY INSULTS

“One of our co-workers is pregnant and shared with us after the show yesterday that some guy at (local store) asked her, “Are you having twins?” Moms, how were you insulted during your pregnancy?” Here are three calls to help with the phones. » download

VALENTINE’S DAY CLIP PACKAGE

Here’s a huge, updated package of Valentine’s Day-related audio clips. » download

BIG PURCHASES ON A WHIM

What’s the biggest purchase you’ve made on a whim? Here are four calls to help with the phones or to drop into a promo. » download

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BITS & BREAKS

NEW IN THEATERS TODAY

JUPITER ASCENDING (PG-13)   score/reviews

• In a bright and colorful future, a young destitute caretaker gets targeted by a ruthless son of a powerful family that live on a planet in need of a new heir, so she travels with a genetically engineered warrior to the planet in order to stop his tyrant reign.
• Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum

SEVENTH SON (PG-13)   score/reviews

• Young Thomas is apprenticed to the local Spook to learn to fight evil spirits. His first great challenge comes when the powerful Mother Malkin escapes her confinement while the Spook is away.
• Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER (PG)  score/reviews

• SpongeBob goes on a quest to discover a stolen recipe that takes him to our dimension, our world, where he tangles with a pirate.
• Voice cast: Antonio Banderas, Frankie Muniz

NEW ON DVD THIS WEEKEND

• The Best of Me
• Ouija
• Dracula Untold
• John Wick
• Wonder Years Season 2

JOCK LINE

One of our sales guys just came in said he hopes I have a good weekend. Apparently he ran out of paperclips, so he’s done for the week.

WORD SPY!

From the website that tracks new words.

• VORTEX-PROOF – Able to withstand extreme cold, particularly the frigid conditions created by the polar vortex weather phenomenon.

• LUMBERSEXUAL – A man whose strong aesthetic sense leans towards a scruffy beard, checked shirts, turned-up jeans, and other lumberjack-like qualities.

• CROFFICE – A coffee shop where a person spends time working, meeting with clients, and performing other duties normally performed in an office (coffee shop + office).

• WEBROOM – To use the web to research a product and to then purchase the product in an offline store. The opposite of SHOWROOMING, which is the act of browsing in a store and then buying the product online.

• UNDER-HAPPY – Not as happy as one ought or would like to be.

• CARBOARDEAUX – Wine sold in and served from a cardboard box .

• PITY FAV – To mark a Twitter post as a “favorite” out of pity for the person who posted it.

FIVE OLD TECH PRODUCTS THAT OFFICE DEPOT AND STAPLES STILL SELL

Source: tedium.co

A couple of years ago Office Max and Office Depot merged. Now Staples and Office Depot want to merge into one final, big office supply company. And check out some of the products Office Depot and Staples still sell.

• Dot-matrix printers: A few businesses still use them for things like receipts and standardized forms, so Office Depot and Staples still have to sell them. They’re not cheap. A single dot-matrix printer these days goes for upward of $600, which is less than the cost of some color laser printers.

• Typewriters: They sell Brother electric typewriters.

• Floppy disks: It used to be that you could find a floppy disk by accident, but USB drives and the cloud have changed that. Office Depot still sells them in packs of 100, at a cost of $79.99. You can buy 100 CDRs for a third of that price.

• Dial-up modems: Most people remember the tone of a dial-up modem . But in case you have an Earthlink, NetZero, AOL or Juno account, it’s nice to know Office Max and Staples can help you out.

• Old versions of software: Microsoft itself may no longer support Windows XP and in fact encourages its users to no longer purchase it, but the business world is slow and they haven’t gotten the cue quite yet. Which is why you can still buy a copy of the 14-year-old operating system for $90.99.

 Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: Which of these dinosaur tech things does your office still use?

YOUR STATE’S FAVORITE WORD TO USE IN ONLINE DATING

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FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: According to a survey this is something that 9% of Americans do once a day, 28% of us do 2-3 times a week, and the majority of us only do once a week. (Vacuum)

TRIVIA: This happens about 152,000 times each year in Nevada. (Marriages. It’s the 35th most populous state but it’s fourth in marriages.)

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JOKE OF THE DAY

A rabbi, a priest, and a lawyer were all caught in a shipwreck. Naturally, there are a lot of sharks circling around. All of a sudden, one shark darts in and grabs the priest for lunch. No more priest. The rabbi starts praying frantically, but to no avail, as a shark comes in and eats him, too. Now the lawyer is really worried, as a shark is coming for him. But, miracle of miracles, the shark puts him on its back, carries him to shore, and lets him off. The lawyer, curious, waits till the shark is far enough away not to eat him, and asks, “How come you didn’t eat me?” The shark replies, “Professional courtesy!”

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

This train doesn’t care that it’s winter.

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

Spotted on a cruise ship — does not instill confidence!

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LAST MINUTE ITEMS

• Remix: Taylor Swift’s Nine Inch Nails.

• Fun: Match the Sound.

• Fun with the Periodic Table.

• Discover the songs in your favorite TV show.

• What the world eats. (Click U.S. for a shocker.)

• A Navy SEAL Explains 8 Secrets To Grit And Resilience.

• Perpetual Pizza

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

• Before you post to your station or show blog, run it through ProWritingAid.

• Rediscover your musical past.

• What’s your gadget worth?

• Which cities sleep in, which get to work early.

• Work cheat: Look like your using Outlook when you’re on reddit.

• I noticed this tiny thing on Google Maps.

• Nobody is using Google+.

• What the vinyl “comeback” really looks like.

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