Audio • Bits & Breaks • Entertainment • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack! • Number for the Day • Television • Wacky-But-True
DATEBOOK: SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
• JoAnne Worley (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In) is 86
• Swoosie Kurtz (Mike & Molly, Emmy for Carol and Company) is 78
• Jane Curtin (SNL, 3rd Rock from the Sun, nicknamed the Queen of Deadpan) is 75
• Jeff Foxworthy is 64
• Michael Winslow (Larvell Jones in Police Academy films) is 64
• News correspondent Elizabeth Vargas is 60
• Idris Elba (Marvel movies, Star Trek Beyond, The Suicide Sqad) is 50
• Justin Whalin (Lois and Clark) is 48
• Naomie Harris (James Bond movies, Pirates of the Caribbean movies) is 46
• Pippa Middleton is 39
• Lauren Lapkus (The Wrong Missy, Orange Is the New Black) is 37
IT HAPPENED TODAY
• 1970: Jimi Hendrix played what turned out to be his last ever performance, at the Love and Peace Festival on the Isle of Fehmarn, Germany.
• 1991: The name Saint Petersburg was restored to Russia’s second largest city, which had been renamed Leningrad in 1924.
• 1995: Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig ‘s record of 2,130 consecutive Major League Baseball games played at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.
• 1997: The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, at Westminster Abbey drew large crowds.
• 2007: An Oregon woman was arrested and charged with arson and burglary after police say she set fire to the home of a neighbor she thought had stolen her keys.
• 2012: Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for US President.
• 2020 A strain of bacteria nicknamed “Conan the Bacterium” survived three years attached to the International Space Station in open space.
• 2020: Los Angeles County, California, reported its highest-ever temperature of 121F.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Barbie Doll Day
• Fight Procrastination Day
• Coffee Ice Cream Day
• Read a Book Day
• Stillbirth Remembrance Day
NUMBER FOR THE DAY
2050: Year when the United Nations predicts the worldwide gender ratio will be equal: 100 males for 100 females. Overall in 2025, the global sex ratio is going to be 100.9 males per 100 females.
NEWS ATTACK!
President Biden had a busy Labor Day. [He labored to get out of bed. Labored to take a bath. Labored to find the TV remote…]
A study found that people with purple bedrooms have the most active sex lives. [And how can you spot a person with the least active sex life? Four words: Star Wars action figures.]
A nine-year-old math wiz in China enrolled in college. [He might be good at math but he won’t to do so well at his first frat party.]
A Romanian man holds the weird record of being hit by a car five times. [This guy has been in so many accidents his personal injury lawyer named all his kids after him.]
Some say the most likely cause of World War 3 will be artificial intelligence. [For example, General Alexa ordering the assassination of Prime Minister Siri.]
A study found you’ll drink more alcohol if the glass is curved rather than straight. [You can start off with a straight glass but if you drink enough, you’d swear the glass was curving.]
An armed MAGA mob with a list of 400 books showed up at an Idaho library and threatened librarians to force them to ban the books on the list, even though the library doesn’t even have those books.
Because of their support for Ukraine, Russia has banned a number of famous people from ever visiting, including Sean Penn and Ben Stiller. [Ben was actually banned from Russia because they saw his acting in Hubie Halloween.]
NEWS & NUGGETS
‘PASSY PETE’ THE LOBSTER PREDICTS EARLY WINTER _ Passy Pete, the lobster that predicts whether Maine residents will have an extended summer, stunned a crowd gathered to hear his annual Labor Day forecast. Winter is coming.
… A collective groan was heard as the prediction was read from a scroll Passy Pete had selected without hesitation with a wave of his crusher claw.
NASA ASTRONAUTS’ BLOOD SHOWS SIGNS OF DNA MUTATIONS _ Astronauts’ blood can show signs of DNA mutations after spaceflight and therefore their cancer risk should be monitored. Fourteen astronauts from NASA’s space shuttle program who flew between 1998 and 2001 on missions averaging 12 days took part in the study. Researchers collected blood samples from the astronauts twice — ten days before spaceflight and on the day of landing. Those sample were put into a freezer at minus 112 degree Fahrenheit and not touched for 20 years.
… Mutations occurred in TP3, a gene that produces a tumor-suppressing protein, and DNMT3A, one of the most frequently mutated genes in acute myeloid leukemia. Although the mutations were high for the astronauts’ age, the researchers said it was still below a concerning threshold.
SHOULD YOU TAKE THE WATER IN A JOB INTERVIEW? _ If you’re someone who normally declines a glass of water, you might want to start accepting it. One TikToker says you should always take the water when someone asks if you’d like water, in order to differentiate yourself.
… The TikToker (Grant Mitterlehner/@grantmitt) is the CEO of a solar company and has about 142,000 followers. He’s known on the app for posting life advice and job hacks. In one of his recent videos, he tells his followers “always take the water.” He says it’s a simple psychology trick that will help interviewees be more liked and respected “immediately.”
… He added: “Think about who people want to give things to when they visit their homes: people they like, love, and respect. So be the person that says yes because it shows that you respect yourself, it differentiates yourself from others, and it builds an instant connection with that other person.”
PADDLEBOARDER LOSES PHONE; SCUBA DIVER FINDS IT NEXT DAY _ When Laura Hernandez fell into the water and lost her iPhone while paddleboarding off Massachusetts earlier this month, she figured it was probably gone for good. But the next day the New York woman returned to the beach and approached the instructor of a novice scuba diving class and told him her situation. Instructor Larry Bettencourt told her the odds of finding it, even with its distinctive pink case, were not good, but he told the class to keep an eye out for it. Amazingly, a diving student making her first open-water ocean dive spotted the phone in water about 25 feet deep. Hernandez gave the diver a $300 reward.
🗣 TOPIC: $300 seems like an over-the-top reward for finding a phone. What’s an appropriate amount (if any)?
HUMANS ARE STILL EVOLVING _ Some have suggested modern medicine has frozen human evolution. With advanced medicine and reproductive technologies, the vast majority of humans enjoy lifespans long enough to pass on their genes to the next generation. But a study found natural selection is still altering the human genome in subtle ways.
… When researchers surveyed the genomes of 210,000 people from the United States and Britain, they found genetic anomalies linked to Alzheimer’s disease and heavy smoking were less common among those with longer lifespans. Scientists also found those who lived longer were less likely to carry genetic mutations linked with heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity, and asthma. The findings suggested humans are still influenced by natural sections, as those with longer lifespans are more likely to pass along their mutation-free genes.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU FOUND $1M IN YOUR ACCOUNT? _ Student loans have been a hot topic the past couple of weeks, which reminded me of a story out of South Africa from a few years ago.
A college student in South Africa woke up one day to find $1 million in her bank account. The company responsible for administering student funds made a clerical error that turned her from a starving student on a Ramen noodle budget to a high roller overnight.
… What do you think she did — spend the money or make a call to have the money removed from her account?
… While she apparently called to confirm the deposit and was told it was correct, it very obviously was not. That didn’t stop her from going on a two month spending spree. Some fellow students noticed that her standard of living had suddenly risen and dropped a dime on her. Fortunately by the time the school looked into it the woman had “only” spent $60,000 of the $1 million. She was forced to pay it back.
🗣 TOPIC: You wake up to find $1 million in your bank account — what do you do?
A SHOCKINGLY HIGH NUMBER OF US ARE FOOD INSECURE _ Food is a fundamental human right, much like air and water. Yet hunger and food insecurity are widespread in the United States. In 2020, almost 14 million households — 10.5 percent of the population — did not having enough food to meet their needs, which greatly affected their health, well-being, and quality of life.
… From June 1 to June 13 of this year almost 24 million households — including 11.6 million households with children under the age of 18 — reported that they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat during the week.
SPORTS MEMORABILIA COLLECTORS WANT SERENA’S STUFF _ Serena Williams, the icon, the legend, the GOAT, lost in the third round of the US Open, marking her final match as a professional tennis player. But for memorabilia collectors, the game is just beginning. Experts say everything from a tennis ball, sweaty towel and even a shoelace from one of Serena’s shoes could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars — or more.
NEED HELP SELLING YOUR HOME? REMEMBER ST. JOSEPH _ Home prices in many areas are coming down and sales are slowing a bit. If you’re desperate to sell your home and desire a little divine intervention, get a statue of St. Joseph.
… According to the tradition, burying St. Joseph began hundreds of years ago in Europe. St. Teresa of Avila, a nun in the 16th century, buried a medal of the saint and prayed to St. Joseph to help secure land for a convent. The ritual is said to have worked and the trend of burying St. Joseph caught on.
SOME MEN ALSO HAVE TROUBLE FIGURING OUT WHAT TO WEAR _ Some trivia for you: A quarter of men can’t make a decision about this even after 20 minutes. What? The answer: What to wear. And if it weren’t for the women in their lives, most men would look like a train wreck. A British survey discovered that more than half of men confess that they rely on the woman in their life to pick out their clothes for them for the next day. Kind of like their mom did when they were kids.
… A third of men say they get dressed in less than two minutes, and one-in-six don’t care about how they look.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN INJURED AFTER DRY ICE EXPLODED _ A woman on a subway in China suffered injuries after another passenger’s insulated bottle carrying dry ice exploded, sending the cap flying at her face. Police said two medical school students had been using the sealed container intended for hot beverages to transport the dry ice.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MISPRINTED UC IRVINE SWEATSHIRT BECOMES SOUGHT-AFTER ITEM _ After Costco released misprinted UC Irvine sweatshirts and removed them from stores in less than a day, students and alumni are trying to buy the defective merchandise. The sweatshirts designed for the University of California, Irvine, which were being sold at three Costco locations in Orange County, misspelled the school’s name as “UC Urvine Anteaters.” After recognizing the mistake, the Costco stores pulled them quickly.
… Many current and former students, however, are actively seeking the defective sweatshirts, with one Twitter user stating that they would “go to LENGTHS” to acquire one.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SUED DOG OVER BITTEN CAR _ A man in Croatia sued his neighbor’s dog after claiming it ate part of his Mercedes. The dog’s owner said there was no way it was his pet because it was tied up in the yard during the day and “it had no appetite for a Mercedes or any other car.”
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BEAR STEALS PIZZA HUT PIZZA PIZZA _ Imagine you’re just hanging out on your back patio with your friend, enjoying a couple slices of your favorite pizza when, suddenly, a black bear swoops in and eats your food. This happened in eastern Kentucky and TikTok user @KYcatmanoutdoors has video showing the bear eating the pizza off the ground, apparently after pulling it from a table. • VIDEO
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ARGUMENT OVER KARAOKE APPARENTLY LEADS TO SHOOTING _ Shots were fired late Thursday night outside a sports bar in Cutler Bay, Florida, and it all allegedly started with an argument over karaoke. According to witnesses, three people were shot during a fight that erupted at a karaoke night event. According to a witness everything started when two men got into a fight over who was next to sing karaoke.
ON TELEVISION
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT (8p ET, NBC) – New. 11 more acts take the stage to perform live.
THE BACHELORETTE (8p ET, ABC) – New. In part two of overnight dates week, Erich and Gabby find themselves at crossroads.
TMZ INVESTIGATES: WHO REALLY KILLED MICHAEL JACKSON (8p ET, FOX) – Looking into Michael Jackson’s addictions and his final months, TMZ explores Dr. Conrad Murray’s conviction for Michael Jackson’s death.
FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES JR. (8p ET, PBS) – New. Questlove, S. Epatha Merkerson and Ava DuVernay explore the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery.
LIES, POLITICS AND DEMOCRACY (9p ET, PBS) – This two-hour documentary special, which is also Frontline’s season premiere, examines the fragility of American democracy and investigates the lies and misinformation surrounding the 2020 presidential election, leading to the January 6 U.S. Capitol Riot.
SEASON FINALE: CLAIM TO FAME (10p ET, ABC) – New. All of the players’ identities are revealed.
SEASON FINALE: HARD KNOCKS (10p ET, HBO) – The NFL regular season begins Thursday. Hard Knocks In Season: The Arizona Cardinals will premiere November 9.
SEASON FINALE: WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (10p ET, FX) – The season 4 finale.
ENTERTAINMENT
BOX OFFICE _Top Gun: Maverick and Spider-Man: No Way Home, movies that were first released months ago, scored wins at the box office over the Labor Day weekend, bolstered by a $3 ticket promotional deal meant to lure in moviegoers during a historically quiet weekend. Maverick made an estimated $7.9 million Friday through Monday. Spider-Man: No Way Home, which first came out in December 2021, was re-released as an extended cut and made $6.6 million.
… One year ago this week the number one movie was Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
… Five years ago this week: The Hitman’s Bodyguard
… Ten years ago this week: The Possession
… Twenty years ago this week: Signs
TOP GUN: MAVERICK PASSES BLACK PANTHER _ Top Gun: Maverick has crossed $700 million in North America, becoming one of six movies to ever surpass that milestone at the domestic box office. The film returned to the top of box office charts over Labor Day weekend, adding $7.9 million between Friday and Monday and bringing ticket sales to $701 million. Maverick is the only film to ever be No. 1 at the domestic box office for both Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays.
SEAN PENN AND BEN STILLER BANNED FROM RUSSIA _ Sean Penn and Ben Stiller were two of the Americans banned from Russia in a list including “high-ranking officials, representatives of the business and expert communities, as well as cultural figures.” In the blacklist of 25 people, Senators Rick Scott, Mark Kelley, Pat Toomey, Kevin Kramer and Krysten Sinema were also barred from the country
… Both Penn and Stiller made trips to Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year.
NCIS ALUM PAULEY PERRETTE ‘CHEATED DEATH’ WITH STROKE _ Pauley Perrette revealed she suffered a life-threatening stroke last year. She tweeted Friday: “It’s 9/2. One year ago I had a massive stoke [sic].” She added: “How many times do I cheat death? I almost died from a hair dye allergy, I have food allergies. I’m a domestic violence and rape survivor.”
… “Things that are harder than having a stroke. But I’m still here. And I’m still grateful. And thank you, those of you who are my friends.”
JENNIFER LOPEZ AND BEN AFFLECK VISIT MALIBU CHILI COOK-OFF _ Newlyweds Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck hit the Malibu Chili Cook-Off in California on Sunday. Other celebs in attendance included Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson.
TIFFANY HADDISH ADDRESSES GROOMING AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT ACCUSATIONS _ Tiffany Haddish addressed accusations of recruiting underage kids for a sexually inappropriate video sketch in an Instagram post on Monday. She said in a statement: “I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now. But clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn’t funny at all — and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it.”
… Haddish’s comments come a week after she and fellow comic Aries Spears were accused of coercing two young children, ages 7 and 14, to perform inappropriate and sexually charged on-camera acts.
… The lawsuit, filed in late August by Jane Doe, now 22, and on behalf of her younger brother John Doe, now 14, alleges two instances in which she and her brother were encouraged to perform sexually suggestive acts on-camera in paid videos, which were filmed in 2013.
… The Daily Beast reported that Haddish and the children’s mother became close friends via the comedy circuit, facilitating a situation where Jane spent time with Haddish, and Spears was on hand to produce the videos.
NETFLIX’S BRIDGERTON PREQUEL WRAPS PRODUCTION _ Production on Netflix’s upcoming Bridgerton prequel spin-off about Queen Charlotte has finally been completed.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON FANS REACT TO HENRY CAVILL/ELIZABETH OLSEN RUMORS _ Just as fans were recovering from all the breath-catching moments in the third House of the Dragon episode, the rumor was cranked to 11 with word that Henry Cavill and Elizabeth Olsen will be joining the world of Westeros in the second season.
… An industry insider (Daniel Richtman) has claimed that The Witcher star and the MCU alum are negotiating with the powers that be to portray Aegon Targaryen and a red priestess, respectively.
ELON MUSK BASHES AMAZON’S THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER _ Elon Musk isn’t a fan of Amazon Studios’ new The Lord of the Rings show. He tweeted Monday: “Tolkien is turning in his grave. Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.” Galadriel is one of the female stars of the show.
… Amazon has invested $1 billion in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series.
PRO AUDIO
Download audio here or with link in sidebar.
RUTHLESS MIDDLE SCHOOLERS
A teacher on TikTok shares the ruthless things his middle schoolers said to him. • VIDEO
→ PRO Audio version is edited for air.
iPHONE NEWS
On Wednesday we’ll learn about some updated Apple gear, like the Watch and iPhone. Here’s a classic clip of comedian Bill Burr explaining why he’s not impressed with the late Steve Jobs.
DROPS
• Well thank God she’s just a figment of my imagination.
• We don’t deserve to be in the same room with them.
• You’re a monster.
• If I were big just think where I would be.
TV NEWSCASTER SWALLOWS FLY
A Canadian TV news anchor swallowed a fly.
→ September 2 Wacky-But-True
BITS & BREAKS
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Well my ex canceled the Spotify premium I was using which unfortunately means I am revoking her dad’s access to my Disney+. Good guy. Hate to see him caught in the crossfire. (@YoungTiempo)
FOUR THINGS THE OPPOSITE SEX REALLY WANTS
Ask almost any woman what she wants out of a relationship, and she’ll most likely click off the following list: emotional connection, trust, romance, intelligent conversation and happiness. And what do men want most in a relationship? Many men would say hearty sex, a good friendship, dependable behavior, witty banter and laughter.
… Men may be more vocal about desiring a beautiful partner and a lot of sex, while women emphasize the emotional aspects, but men and women would agree that the same components are desirable in a healthy relationship. Here is what both men and women want most from each other:
A SENSE OF COMFORT — Everyone wants to feel free to be him or herself in a relationship. While there might be some posturing going on to get that first date, ultimately, you want to feel comfortable in your own skin around your partner.
TRUST — If you’re sharing your life with someone, you have to believe that person would never do anything to harm you, physically or emotionally. People are often willing to overlook other nagging grievances as long as there is trust.
APPRECIATION — No one wants to be taken for granted. What people — both men and women — often say they want most in a relationship is to feel loved and needed.
INSPIRATION TO BE A BETTER PERSON — It’s often not enough just to be loved — people generally want a partner who inspires them to be great.
MOST RIDICULOUS THING YOU’VE HAD TO EXPLAIN TO ANOTHER ADULT
🗣 TOPIC: What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve had to explain to another adult?
• “Why doesn’t the kite just fly away?” Uh, because there’s a string.
• She thought islands floated like big rubber boats.
• My husband had to explain to me recently that South Africa is not, in fact, just the South of Africa. It’s a whole other country by itself.
• My friend: “What is Mick Jagger’s first name? Me: “Mick.” My friend: “His name is Mick McJagger?”
DECODING YOUR DREAMS
• CARS — Vehicles in dreams represent your body and identity. If the car is in good shape, it shows you take care of yourself. If the car needs repair, then so do you. If your car is being worked on, this suggests that you’re undergoing a life overhaul.
• CELEBRITY — A star in a dream symbolizes power, influence, glamor and a desire to stroll down the red carpet of life. Because every character in your dream represents you, the qualities of the celebrity and the role she plays in your dream reveal an aspect of yourself.
• FALLING — Dreams of falling let you know that you’re feeling overwhelmed. These dreams symbolize a feeling of loss of control, lack of confidence and losing your way.
• FIRE — Fire dreams represent change, transformation, passion, love, sexuality, energy and destruction. This dream also represents energy that feels out of control and foreshadows a major change coming in your life.
• FLYING — These dreams represent joy, feeling light, confidence, creativity, independence and awareness of a higher perspective. You’re free from physical constraints as you connect with your true spiritual essence and access your true potential.
• SEX — Lusty dreams symbolize your desire, creativity and passion. They help you to fulfill your unsatisfied or secret attractions, longings and desires.
• TEETH — Dreams about teeth have to do with communication issues and your ability to “chew on” what you’ve learned throughout the day. Dreams of losing your teeth suggest feelings of insecurity, powerlessness, financial stress or loss.
FUN & GAMES
TRIVIA: What do the words boycott, jacuzzi, maverick, oscar and sandwich have in common? (They’re names of people that became regular words. Boycott was named for Charles C. Boycott, and English land agent; jacuzzi was named for Roy and Candido Jacuzzi, American inventors; Maverick was named for Samuel Augustus Maverick, a Texas cattle owner; Oscar was named for Oscar Pierce, an American wheat and fruit grower and uncle of an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences executive director; and Sandwich was named for John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, an English diplomat.)
TRIVIA: The average household receives about thirty of these by mail every year. Credit card solicitations)
HOLE IN THE HEADLINE
Guess the word that’s missing from this news headline: CANADIAN NEWS ANCHOR SWALLOWS ______ LIVE ON AIR!
A) Fly
B) Pen
C) Snake
Canadian news anchor Farah Nasser got choked up on air this week after inadvertently swallowing a fly. She said, “I saw it flying around at the beginning of the news … and I was like, ‘Not today, fly. I’m not gonna let you distract me.'” Nasser said she was more concerned about the fly flying into the lens and “the next thing I knew, it was just in my throat. You can’t even see it in the video. It was so sneaky, this fly.” Nasser confirmed that, yes, she did swallow it.
BRAIN TEASER
Question: What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and grey when you throw it away?
Answer: Coal.
TRICK QUESTION
Question: If a plane crashes on the border of The United States and Mexico, where would the survivors be buried?
Answer: Nowhere, you don’t bury survivors.
5 IN 15 / 5 IN 10 / MATCHGAME
I’ll ask an easy question — you just need to give me 5 answers in 15 seconds.
You have 15 seconds to name 5 carbonated beverages!
→ You could also do 5 in 10. Or play a matchgame version where you send a cohost out of the studio, ask a caller to name the five, then have the cohost return and try to match at least four for the caller to win.