PRO September 17, 2015

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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: SEPTEMBER 17, 2015

This is day 260 of 2015. There are 105 days remaining.

BIRTHDAYS

• Comedian Rita Rudner is 62

• Puppeteer Kevin Clash (Elmo on Sesame Street) is 55

• Actor-director Paul Feig (Spy) is 53

• Director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) is 53

• Kyle Chandler (Early Edition) is 50

• Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black) is 26.

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1630: The city of Boston, Massachusetts, was founded.

• 1787: The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• 1814: Francis Scott Key finished his The Star-Spangled Banner poem.

• 1920: The National Football League was organized in Canton, Ohio.

• 1928: The Okeechobee Hurricane struck southeastern Florida, killing upwards of 2,500 people. It was the third deadliest natural disaster in US history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

• 1956: Television was first broadcast in Australia.

• 1963: The Fugitive premiered on ABC.

• 1972: The first episode of M*A*S*H premiered on CBS. Set during the Korean War, the show aired for 11 years.

• 1976: The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, was unveiled by NASA.

• 1983: Vanessa Williams became the first black Miss America. She resigned the title nine months later after nude photos of her appeared in Penthouse magazine.

• 1991: Teen idols New Kids on the Block took over from comedian Bill Cosby at the top of Forbes magazine’s richest entertainers list.

• 1994: Heather Whitestone of Birmingham, Alabama, became the first contestant with a disability to be crowned Miss America. Heather is deaf.

• 2001: The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened for the first time after the September 11 attacks. Stocks plummeted throughout the trading session and the Dow posted its biggest point drop in its history, closing down 684.81 points to 8920.70.

• 2002: A 27-year-old gun-toting musician forced a southern Brazilian radio station to play his debut album for more than an hour after apparently having no luck opening the doors of show business. The incident ended after 70 minutes when Vinicius dos Santos surrendered to police. Nobody was injured and the deejay later informed listeners where they could buy the musician’s album.

• 2007: Auction website eBay removed an auction listing for the country of Belgium, which had attracted an offer of nearly $14 million.

• 2007: A New Zealand man decided to rob a bank. But instead of the usual disguise, Kevin Williams decided he put a pair of underwear on his head. The staff at the bank figured out who Kevin was and police caught up with him a short time later.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Citizenship Day

• Constitution Day

• International Country Music Day

UPCOMING

• September 23: First day of autumn

• October 6: Major League Baseball playoffs begin

• November 1: Daylight Saving Time ends

• More holidays – Updated with 2016 holidays.

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NUMBER FOR THE DAY

40 million: Pounds of chicken consumed by Americans each year.

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NEWS ATTACK!

A recent study finds that we are quite sexist when it comes to food labeling. We associate masculine images with unhealthy food and feminine images with healthy food. [That explains why one manufacturer has replaced an old familiar mascot with the new Jolly Green Ballerina.]

New research shows that just since 1970 the amount of life in the sea has been reduced by half. [Nice work, Red Lobster.]

A competitor at the Kentucky State BBQ Festival was charged after he threw hot brisket at another cook. [The victim said that it was bad enough to be hit with a hot slab of meat, but her rival’s brisket was also over seasoned and undercooked.]

Critics of Zimbabwe’s 91-year-old president say that he should step down for medical reasons after he gave the wrong speech the other day. [He lit the Olympic torch, and wished everyone a very merry Christmas.]

An American Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing after a female passenger became unruly. She hit both a flight attendant and the fellow passenger who had complained that she was kicking his seat. [It’s useless to complain to someone about kicking your seat because if they cared one bit about your feelings, they wouldn’t be kicking your seat.]

Fans of Lindsay Lohan are worried after she posted rambling messages. [Are they rambling messages, or is she auditioning for The View?]

A park in the Denver area has closed to the public due to the danger of more and more visitors taking selfies with wild bears. [Interestingly, it’s the bears who eventually post the pictures online since the tourists in the photos are no longer available, if you know what I mean.]

PETA is upset with New Zealand researchers of criminal science for studying blood splatter patterns by tying live pigs to tables before callously shooting them in the head. [Then serving everyone BLTs.]

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NEWS & NUGGETS

BOY ARRESTED FOR BUILDING CLOCK SAYS HE’S TRANSFERRING _ Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old boy authorities arrested because a teacher mistook the homemade clock he brought to school for a bomb, says he is still suspended from classes even though police have dropped the case against him. He will likely transfer to “any other school.”

… Many teachers aren’t happy with a statement made Wednesday by the White House press secretary who said “at least some of Ahmed’s teachers failed him.”

… Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg publicly defended Ahmed, who has received invites to visit the White House, Facebook headquarters, and a number of other companies which tweeted support for him Wednesday.

OLIVE GARDEN IS BRINGING BACK THE PASTA PASS _ If you missed your chance to buy one of the 1,000 never-ending Pasta Passes from Olive Garden last year, get ready to buy one today (Thursday). Olive Garden is bringing back the cards that entitle bearers to shove as much pasta down their gullets as they can for seven weeks. This time, friends and family can be included in the endless feast as well.

… Olive Garden says on its website it’ll sell 1,000 of the $100 regular Pasta Passes starting today (Thursday) at 2 PM ET on its website.

McDONALD’S TESTS CHEF CRAFTED BURGERS _ Now that the all-day breakfast menu it has been testing is about to go national, McDonald’s is testing three new customizable sandwiches called Chef Crafted Flavors. For each of the three, diners can choose the new Buttermilk Crispy Chicken patty, the Artisan Grilled chicken patty or a beef patty. Three flavor options are: Buffalo Bacon; Pico Guacamole; Maple Bacon Dijon.

WHATABURGER EMPLOYEE REFUSES TO SERVE OFFICERS _ A few weeks ago, an Arby’s employee in Florida refused to serve police officers food. A couple of weeks before that a Jimmy John’s employee in Minnesota wouldn’t serve an officer. Now after a Whataburger employee in Texas reportedly told two cops that the restaurant wouldn’t serve them. The company has apologized and says that the employee who refused the cops has been fired.

CONTROL THE NEW WI-FI-ENABLED ROOMBA VACUUM FROM MILES AWAY _ iRobot’s Roomba robot vacuum is a pretty smart device, but it’s taking a big leap forward by using your wifi network and an app. The new Roomba 980 is iRobot’s first wifi enabled robot vacuum, and also the first to clean up an entire floor of a house in a row-by-row sweep. Yep, the days of the Roomba’s lazy circles are apparently over. And should you wonder if Roomba is doing its job while you’re at work, you can fire up an app on your smartphone to check in.

MOMS, HERE’S WHY YOUR HUSBAND NEEDS THAT DRONE _ Recently I’ve told you about kids having their teeth pulled out by strings tied to slingbows and cars. Now we have young girl whose wobbly tooth was pulled out by a drone. Apparently, ever since a young age the girl has been obsessed with how people pull out loose teeth. So, when she had the opportunity to try something different she did. • VIDEO

… And there was a young boy who had a tooth extracted by drone last year. • VIDEO

TOM BRADY THINKS A PRESIDENT TRUMP “WOULD BE GREAT” _ Tom Brady endorsed The Donald for president Wednesday. When Brady was asked about a “Make American Great Again” hat that was previously spotted in his locker, he said the hat is a “nice keepsake” and that it would be “great” if Trump won the election. When asked if Trump has a shot at winning the general election, Brady said, “I hope so. That would be great. There’d be a putting green on the White House lawn. I know that.” Trump has been a longtime ally of Brady and fiercely defended him during the “Deflategate” scandal.

SMARTER SIRI, BETTER BATTERY LIFE IN APPLE SOFTWARE UPDATE _ Owners of Apple’s iPhones and iPads are getting updates this week, including battery improvements and a smarter virtual assistant. The new features and capabilities in the update, iOS 9, are primarily refinements.

… A new low-power mode will reduce or turn off non-essential tasks such as visual effects and automatic downloads. The phone also won’t check for new mail or update content for apps in the background as often.

… From the main home screen, swipe left to right for a new search screen. The Siri virtual assistant suggests frequently used contacts and apps and nearby businesses, taking into account whether it’s evening or lunch time.

… As you jump around from app to app, some apps show a new back button on the top left corner to get you back to what you were doing.

… Sleeping in: If you choose a particular song as your alarm sound, the song will keep playing until you turn off the alarm or hit snooze.

… Gone: The Newsstand icon disappears, replaced by an unrelated News service. Go directly to the publication’s app for your subscriptions.

… There are upgrades for iPad owners also.

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WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK FRIENDS FIST FIGHT OVER CHECK _ Two friends got into a fist fight at a restaurant in China. They battled it out over who would pick up the check.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN KAYAKS OVER 2 MILES IN PUMPKIN _ A Massachusetts man who kayaked just over two miles in a pumpkin likely set a world record and raised awareness of agriculture. Todd Sandstrum had hoped to travel about 8 miles down a river but still thinks his shorter journey will make it into the Guinness World Records.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLARY SUSPECTS MAKE POOR GETAWAY _ Two suspects in a Georgia (Roswell) drug store burglary chose one of the worst possible places to make their getaway: the police station. Police say the men ran from the store, ending up at the back gate of the police station. An officer spotted three men wearing masks and gloves running from the store. One was taken into custody, but two others fled. A police dog tracked the two fleeing suspects to the rear gate of the police department, where both were apprehended.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ALLEGED FOOT-SNIFFER ARRESTED _ Authorities in Florida have arrested a man wanted by Florida International University authorities for allegedly smelling women’s feet on campus. Fifty-two year old Eddy Juan was taken into custody Tuesday. Police said he had been crawling underneath tables at the FIU Library to smell women’s feet. He had been caught in the act in photos.

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ON TELEVISION

NFL THURSDAY NIGHT KICKOFF (8p ET, CBS) — CBS kicks off its NFL coverage with host James Brown and analysts Deion Sanders and Bill Cowher.

JEFF DUNHAM: UNHINGED IN HOLLYWOOD (8p ET, NBC) — In this special, Jeff Dunham performs at the Dolby Theatre, featuring a special performance from country star Brad Paisley and guest appearances by comedian Chris Parnell and former UFC champion Chuck Liddell.

GREY’S ANATOMY (8p ET, ABC) — Repeat

SCREAM III (8p ET, FOX) — Neve Campbell, Patrick Dempsey and David Arquette star in this 2000 film.

THE FLASH (8p ET, CW) — Repeat

NFL FOOTBALL (8:25p ET, CBS) — Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos visit Kansas City to battle the Chiefs.

MAT FRANCO’S GOT MAGIC (9p ET, NBC) — This 2-hour special follows Magician Mat Franco, the America’s Got Talent Season 9 winner, as he travels from Rhode Island to Las Vegas. Special guest appearing include Neil Patrick Harris, Heidi Klum, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Mraz, and Penn and Teller.

SCANDAL (9p ET, ABC) — Repeat

ARROW (9p ET, CW) — Repeat

PROJECT RUNWAY (9p ET, Lifetime) — The designers must go dumpster diving for recycled materials in their second unconventional materials challenge. Marie Claire editor in chief Anne Fulenwider and Paula Patton (Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol) are the guest judges.

COSBY: THE WOMEN SPEAK (9p ET, A&E) — More than 50 women have come forward with sexual assault accusations against Bill Cosby over the decades. This special includes interviews more than a dozen of those women, including actress Louisa Moritz, publicist Joan Tarshis and model Beverly Johnson.

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (10p ET, ABC) — Repeat

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ENTERTAINMENT

OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR THE BACK TO THE FUTURE DOC _ It’s been 30 years since the first Back to the Future film kicked off a time travel trilogy that remains a classic to this day. The documentary Back in Time, which recently released its first official trailer, will look at how Back to the Future influenced our culture. The trailer offers a peek at some of the interviews we’ll see in the film including Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Zemeckis. Fox shares his story of sitting next to Princess Diana while watching the film.

… Back in Time was successfully funded through a Kickstarter campaign in April and will be released on October 21, a date that fans will recognize as the day Marty McFly arrived in the future in Back to the Future II. • VIDEO

LIONEL RICHIE TO HANG OUT IN VEGAS FOR AWHILE _ Lionel Richie will go all night long in Las Vegas. He announced Wednesday that he will launch a residency called “Lionel Richie — All the Hits” on April 27 at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Richie will play 20 shows in April, May, September and October. Tickets, which go on sale tomorrow (Friday), range from $59 to $199, not including service charges.

ICE CUBE LINED UP FOR A CHRISTMAS CAROL REMAKE _ Ice Cube will star in a modern retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Cube will star as a real estate tycoon who is shown the wickedness of his ways on Christmas Eve by three spirits.

NBC ORDERS LAW & ORDER LIVE REALITY SERIES SPINOFF _ Ever yelled at your TV during a courtroom scene on Law & Order? NBC may have the show for you. The network has given the go-ahead to Law & Order: You the Jury, a one-hour live reality series. The courtroom docudrama allows viewers to decide the verdict on real legal cases and to vote on the veracity of witnesses and persuasiveness of evidence throughout the trial.

MATT DAMON APOLOGIZES FOR DIVERSITY COMMENTS _ Matt Damon has apologized for comments regarding diversity in filmmaking that sparked some backlash, after a portion of a conversation from HBO’s Project Greenlight circulated online. In the segment, Damon was shown shutting down producer Effie Brown (Dear White People) who made a case that a script dealing with sensitive subjects like prostitution should have a diverse directing team behind it. Damon responded that diversity should be handled in “the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show.” In a statement, Damon said he believes “deeply that there need to be more diverse filmmakers making movies.” His comments, he said, were part of a broader conversation that did not make the show. He also apologized for any offense caused, but is happy that it started a conversation.

KATE GOSSELIN SINGLE AGAIN _ Kate Gosselin is single again after getting dumped by her millionaire boyfriend, Jeff Prescott. The couple had been dating since last last year, but sources says the wealthy businessman left 40-year-old Kate for a much younger woman — a 26-year-old woman from the Republic of Belarus. The “other woman” may not be the only factor in the breakup. Sources state that Gosselin was upset that Prescott didn’t spend enough time with her while he “traveled the world.” In his travels, he met his current girlfriend, a young woman who he has been spotted with in Las Vegas and Hawaii.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY AND JOHN MELLENCAMP ENJOY FIRST DATE _ Christie Brinkley and John Mellencamp are a couple. The 61-year-old Brinkley and 63-year-old Mellencamp just had dinner in New York City. The duo were in public for about an hour before taking off together in Mellencamp’s chauffeur-driven vehicle.

ANGELINA JOLIE, BRAD PITT CONCERNED ABOUT SHILOH’S GENDER IDENTITY _ Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have always been supportive of their child Shiloh’s decision to identify as a boy. But recent reports suggest that the couple are now expressing concerns about Shiloh’s gender identity. According to InTouch Weekly, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reportedly consulted a transgender expert to learn more about their child’s “gender dysmorphia.” Apparently they aren’t totally convinced that Shiloh really wants to be a boy. So, they are seeking the help of a transgender expert to confirm whether Shiloh isn’t just displaying characteristics normally associated with being a tomboy.

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BITS & BREAKS

DO YOU LIKE YOUR SPOUSE’S FRIENDS?

Wives, your husband is pretty much OK with all of your friends. According to a new survey:

• 85% of wives strongly dislike or hate at least one of their husbands’ friends.

• Less than 10% of husbands say they dislike or hate at least one of their wives’ friends.

Start it on Facebook, take it to the phones: Who’s the friend your husband or wife you can’t stand and why?

BLOG IT: WEDDING DAY FROM THE BRIDE’S PERSPECTIVE

A bride — who’s also a very good photographer — took photos from her perspective.

WHY IS GAS PRICED TO NINE-TENTHS OF A CENT?

There are theories, but none are definitive. A few years ago an oil company vice president said the nine-tenths of a cent is just a marketing gimmick that likely begun during the 1970 “gas wars.” Over the years, it became the standard.

If you haven’t lately, visit Gas Buddy and compare your town’s prices with some of the more expensive prices in the country. Be ready to answer the phone… people love to call and share how little they paid recently.

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FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA:Nearly 65% of women don’t trust their husbands to do this. (Work on their vehicle)

AD SLOGANS

Enough here for two quick contests!

I’ll give you some ad slogans, you name the products or companies:

• We’ll leave the light on for you. (Motel 6)

• What happens here, stays here. (Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority)

• Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (M&Ms)

• When you care enough to send the very best. (Hallmark)

• You can do it. We can help. (Home Depot)

• You’re in good hands. (Allstate)

• Solutions for a smart planet. (IBM)

• Stronger than dirt. (Ajax)

• McDonald’s (I’m loving it)

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JOKE OF THE DAY

It was a beautiful Sunday morning and an old man was sitting on a bench near the entrance to a park. On his way to church a priest noticed the old man and says, “Burt, aren’t you going to service today?” “Not any more,” the old man told the priest.” The priest said, “Burt, don’t you think you should ask God for another year of good health?” Burt replied, “Father, I’m 93 years old, most of my friends are gone, and I have a hunch. I think that in heaven He’s forgotten about me and the last thing I want to do is go to church and remind Him!”

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VIDEO OF THE DAY

Contact juggling.

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

Creepy hot dog.

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LAST MINUTE ITEMS

• Wedding day from the bride’s perspective.

• A quick personality test called What Did You See First?

• iSkelter Tab lap desk looks like an interesting new way to work with your iPad.

• A database of paper airplanes with easy to follow folding instructions.

• 10AppsManager is a tool to uninstall Windows 10 pre-installed Store apps.

• I had no idea you could make a challenging game out of tic-tac-toe.

• The Guide to Practicing How to Win Friends and Influence People.

• The 7 Most Moving Podcasts Ever.

• Handy CheatSheet app for Mac users.

• Married since 1952, she’s a Giants fan, he’s a Cards fan. The two teams played August 17 in St. Louis. (Cards won.)

• Guy plays 100 TV theme songs on his guitar in 11 minutes.

• Chair Capes: Be the hero your office deserves.

• Ghostbusters theme gets metal makeover.

• Prepared to be terrified after you use your smartphone as a blacklight.

• Steal these bits from Morning Show Boot Camp.

• Make your images stand out on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with animated text using the Legend app.

• Random useful websites.

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