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PRO DATEBOOK: APRIL 30, 2021
• Perry King (Riptide) is 73
• Former NBA star Isiah Thomas is 60
• Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) is 56
• Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory, Roseanne) is 46
• Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) is 40
• Kirsten Dunst is 39
• Dianna Agron (Glee) is 35
• Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) is 36
• Ana de Armas (Knives Out) is 33
IT HAPPENED TODAY
• 1789: On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington took the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States.
• 1938: Bugs Bunny first appeared on screen in the cartoon Porky’s Hare Hunt, directed by “Bugs” Hardaway for Warner Bros.
• 1939: Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first President of the United States to appear on television during the World Fair’s opening ceremonies broadcast.
• 1945: After being married for one day Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide.
• 1952: The first toy was advertised on television: Mr. Potato Head.
• 1967: Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army and was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. He sited religious grounds for his refusal.
• 2005: Jennifer Wilbanks, missing from Georgia, turned up in Albuquerque. She had claimed she was abducted, but then admitted she was a “runaway bride.”
• 2009: Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
• 2018: The world’s oldest known spider, a female trapdoor, died at age 43 after being killed by a wasp sting in Australia.
• 2020: Donald Trump claimed COVID-19 originated in a lab in Wuhan, while the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the virus was not man made.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Adopt A Shelter Pet Day
• Arbor Day
• Bugs Bunny Day
• Dandelion Day
• Hairball Awareness Day
• International Jazz Day
• Mahjong Day
• Bubble Tea Day
• Honesty Day
• Oatmeal Cookie Day
• Raisin Day
• Teach Children to Save Day
DATEBOOK WEEKEND
SATURDAY, MAY 1
• Singer Judy Collins is 82. Dann Florek (Law & Order: SVU) is 70. Scott Coffey (Mulholland Drive) is 57. Charlie Schlatter (Diagnosis Murder) is 55. Country singer Tim McGraw is 54. Director Wes Anderson is 52. Julie Benz (No Ordinary Family, Dexter) is 49. Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey) is 39. Abby Huntsman (The View) is 35. Lizzy Greene (A Million Little Things) is 17.
• Kentucky Derby. Executive Coaching Day. Global Love Day. Hug Your Cat Day. Learn To Ride A Bike Day. Bubba Day. Fitness Day. Homebrew Day. Play Outside Day. Scrapbooking Day. School Principals’ Day. Start Seeing Monarchs Day. Stepmother’s Day. World Naked Gardening Day. Chocolate Parfait Day. Free Comic Book Day.
SUNDAY, MAY 2
• Englebert Humperdinck is 85. Country singer R.C. Bannon is 76.Country singer Larry Gatlin is 73. Lou Gramm of Foreigner is 71. Christine Baranski is 69. Donatella Versace is 66. Country singer Ty Herndon is 59. TV commentator Mika Brzezinski is 54. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is 49. Soccer legend David Beckham is 46. Jenna Von Oy (Blossom) is 44. Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) is 43. Ellie Kemper (The Office) is 41. Robert Buckley (One Tree Hill) is 40. Gaius Charles (Grey’s Anatomy) is 38. Kay Panabaker (No Ordinary Family, Summerland) is 31.
• Lemonade Day. Infertility Survival Day. World Laughter Day. World Tuna Day. Chocolate Truffle Day. Brothers and Sisters Day.
NUMBER FOR THE DAY
23: Pounds of pizza consumed by each man, woman and child each year.
NEWS ATTACK!
Joe Biden has been in office for 100 days. [To put it another way, that would be 847 tweets from the previous president.]
Today is World Honesty Day. [In Washington, D.C. they celebrate by keeping the blinds closed, locking the doors, and not leaving the house.]
New York City will reopen 100 percent on July 1. [Except for muggings. Those won’t be back until August 1.]
New York City will reopen 100 percent on July 1. [Except to people from New Jersey.]
The world doesn’t have enough chips. [Chill out, (co-host), I’m referring to computer chips, not Ruffles.]
Mother’s Day is just around the corner. [You know, the day when we appreciated a lifetime of love and care from mom by taking her someplace that has unlimited bread sticks.]
U.S. cruise ships will likely start hauling vacationers again this July. [So I need to find those floral shirts I haven’t worn in over a year.]
More than 100 US colleges are requiring students to get vaccinations. [Seems like an easy decision: Zoom learning from their parents’ basement, or a shot in the arm so they can do shots on the weekend.]
NEWS & NUGGETS
COVID-19 ONE YEAR AGO: SWEDISH CITY USED CHICKEN MANURE TO ENCOURAGE SOCIAL DISTANCING _ Governments around the world have used laws, fines and advertising campaigns to encourage social distancing. The Swedish city of Lund took a unique approach to the problem. Lund Council ordered workers to dump a ton (literally) of chicken manure across its main city park to deter crowds from gathering during an annual celebration. A city official said: “It will stink of chicken manure and won’t be pleasant for people to be around, but the chicken has a lot of phosphorus and nitrogen in it so the park will be nice just in time for the summer.”
LOTTERY JACKPOTS GROW _ If you don’t play the lottery, tonight’s (Friday) Mega Millions jackpot might inspire you to pick up a couple of quick picks. The prize in tonight’s drawing is $319 million. Saturday night’s Powerball jackpot is $129 million.
LAWSUIT ALLEGES CHEESE FRAUD IN BAGEL BITES PIZZA SNACKS _ A Wisconsin woman has sued food giant Kraft Heinz, saying the packaging of its Bagel Bites Pizza Snacks amounts to fraud. Kaitlyn Huber’s federal lawsuit says a box featuring the Real Dairy seal, and the large type announcing mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, are “false, deceptive and misleading.” The suit, which seeks class-action status on behalf of anyone who bought the bites in Wisconsin, asks the court to make Kraft Heinz correct its packaging and for unspecified damages.
… The suit states: “Wisconsin consumers want real mozzarella cheese in pizza because they value (1) its soft, moist texture, (2) its milky, yet tangy taste and (3) its high protein and relatively low calories and sodium compared to other cheeses.” The suggestion that Bagel Bites Pizza Snacks are made with tomato sauce is also bogus, according to Huber’s suit.
… Huber’s lawsuit claims Wisconsin and federal regulations require any purported mozzarella that contains added food starch — in place of milk — to be labeled as imitation mozzarella cheese. A spokesperson for Kraft Heinz said the company did not have any comment about Huber’s lawsuit.
… In a court filing in a very similar suit filed in New York earlier this year, lawyers for Heinz Kraft argued that because some mozzarella is used in the “cheese blend” cited as an ingredient in Bagel Bites, it is not “imitation” mozzarella under federal law.
🔈 TEXAS DOG FIGHTS 25-POUND LIZARD IN BACKYARD BATTLE _ It’s not everyday a pet dog encounters a lizard of similar size to themselves in their own backyard. On Sunday evening, a pitbull/boxer mix in Willis, Texas experienced that when she was let outside for a bathroom break. Owner Molly Doughtery left her dog Nola with her parents for the weekend while she attended a birthday celebration out of town. She received a call from her mother on Sunday evening as she was boarding her flight to return home, “screaming that Nola has been attacked by a very large lizard.” Nola and the lizard apparently engaged in combat at some point, as the family found bloodstains on their fence and Nola was left with wounds to “her face, head, and chest, and limping in her hind leg” because of the attack. The vet treatment added up to $3,000.
PEOPLE ARE SPLIT ON HOW TO SETTLE THE RESTAURANT BILL _ People are split on how to settle the restaurant bill after a meal with friends and family. A study of 2,000 diners revealed 34 percent believe you should split the bill straight down the middle including the tip, while 36 percent believe it should be split precisely based on who has had what. No word on what the other 30 percent believe.
… Nearly half (43 percent) of people say they feel awkward when it comes to approaching how to pay when they eat out.
🗣 TOPIC: How should a bill be split? If you had the cheapest meal and someone suggested an even split, what would you say?
WE STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF US AT AGE 46 _ A survey finds we stop worrying about what other people think of us at the age of 46. The survey of adults 55-plus also found we don’t feel comfortable in our own skin until we turn 42.
2 IN 3 AMERICANS FEEL MORE ALONE THAN EVER BEFORE _ A new study is revealing there may have been an even more devastating pandemic to come out of 2020 than COVID-19 — loneliness. Since the start of the pandemic, 67 percent of Americans say they feel more alone than ever before. The poll of 2,003 Americans also finds 55 percent feel like they’ve completely lost their sense of community over the past year.
… Maintaining friendships and relationships can take a lot of energy. Since COVID-19 hit, 58 percent of respondents say they just can’t keep up with everybody anymore. As people began feeling more and more isolated over the past year, researchers find Americans turned to the internet for a source of comfort and community.
IS IT ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ TO GO RUNNING IN A CEMETERY? _ NOTE: This one could be tossed out by the runner on your show. Here’s a question: Is it OK for runners to run through a cemetery? Recently, Ben Kaplan, who oversees iRun.ca, an online running community and magazine, decided to poll the group’s members. Although a majority expressed support for cemetery runs, there was a solid block of holdouts, many of whom used the word “disrespectful.”
… Many runners say running through a cemetery makes them grateful for the life and health they have. One runner said as she enters a cemetery she says a little prayer of gratitude.
… However, cemeteries are private spaces with people having private moments. One runner asked a friend about the topic and they replied that when someone goes by “huffing and puffing” it messes with his visitation.
🗣 TOPIC: Cemetery runs… cool or not?
7 YEAR OLD SPENDS ALLOWANCE ON FISHING POLE, CATCHES 83-POUND CATFISH _ A 7-year old boy in Tennessee learned that hard work pays off by turning his hard-earned money into one of the biggest flathead catfish catches in state history. Autry Hogan (Cumberland City) saved up his chores money to buy a new pole in preparation for a fishing trip with his dad, Joshua, grandpa Gary, and little brother Kye. Once the Hogan family hit the water, it didn’t take long for Autry to get a fish hooked on his new piece of equipment. While the first catch on a new pole is always exciting, Autry didn’t just catch any ole little bass or bluegill. He caught an 83-pound flathead catfish.
ONLY 10% OF U.S. EMPLOYEES WANT TO RETURN TO OFFICE FULL-TIME _ An overwhelming majority of U.S. employees who are currently working from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic don’t want to return to the office full-time. According to a survey (by people management platform Hibob), only 10 percent of employees surveyed want to go back to brick-and-mortar offices.
… 73 percent of managers polled said two or three days in the office and the rest working from home would be the preferred hybrid work model.
AVERAGE PET OWNER EXPERIENCES FOUR MINI-PANICS EACH WEEK _ Pets bring companionship and humor into our lives, but it’s not always a smooth ride. In fact, a new study finds the average pet parent has 231 “mini-panics” each year. The survey of 2,000 dog and cat owners delved into these panic points, with researchers finding the average respondent has just over four panics per week. It turns out many of those panics revolve around their furry friend’s bathroom habits.
… Top mini-panics include their pet having irregular bowel movements (47%), their pet not eating a normal amount (47%), and their pet’s poop being an unusual consistency (46%). Also making the list are incidents where someone’s pet eats something they shouldn’t have (46%) or not being able to find their pet in the house (42%).
BLUE ORIGIN WILL SOON BEGIN SELLING TICKETS FOR RIDES ON ITS SPACE TOURISM ROCKET _ Blue Origin will soon be selling the first tickets for rides on its space tourism rocket called New Shepard. The first tickets will go on sale starting Wednesday, May 5. Blue Origin did not reveal how much tickets will cost, only saying that more details will come on May 5 to those who submit their name and email on a form on the company’s website.
… The announcement’s video features Amazon founder and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos going out to the capsule of New Shepard after the company’s test flight earlier this month. It shows him driving across the Texas desert, the remote location of the New Shepard launch facility. • VIDEO
… New Shepard is designed to carrying as many as six people at a time on a ride past the edge of space, with the capsules on previous test flights reaching an altitude of more than 340,000 feet. The capsule, which has massive windows to give passengers a view, spends as much as 10 minutes in zero gravity before returning to Earth. The rocket launches vertically, with the booster detaching and returning to land at a concrete pad nearby. The capsule’s return is slowed down by a set of parachutes, before softly landing in the desert. • LINK
FLORIDA WOMAN’S $500,000 LOTTERY WIN CAUSES HER TO BURN DINNER _ A Florida woman said scratching off a $500,000 lottery prize caused her to forget her dinner. Kristina Ritchey told Florida Lottery officials she was cooking dinner when she decided to scratch off the ticket she had purchased earlier in the day. Ritchey said she was so excited to reveal a $500,000 prize that she forgot about the food. Ritchey said, “When I realized I had won, I ran to tell my fiance. We were both so excited that I completely forgot about the food and ended up burning our dinner — it was worth it though.”
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IS 90 _ One of the most famous buildings in the U.S. had its official opening this week (May 1) in 1931 — the Empire State Building in New York City. The building was constructed in just 14 months. Not long after its opening, it became a movie star, with the famous scene in King Kong when the giant gorilla climbs the building clutching actress Fay Wray while fighting off attacking fighter planes. At 102 stories, the Empire State Building was the tallest in the world for four decades until surpassed by the first tower of the World Trade Center in 1972.
A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: WE’RE MORE WILLING TO SPLURGE ON MOM THAN DAD _ A survey found that nearly half of respondents — 48 percent — are willing to splurge on a gift for Mom versus 38 percent on a gift for Dad.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN GOES FULL CARRIE UNDERWOOD _ You’ve probably heard, or heard of, the Carrie Underwood song Before He Cheats. Well, a Nashville woman brought the song to life by smashing her ex-boyfriend’s pickup truck, and pouring beer on the driver’s seat. 23-year-old Makayla Fryar has been charged with vandalism, and according to the affidavit, the victim’s brother caught her in the act with the Ford F-150 parked right in front of his home. She was seen hitting the front windshield with an “unknown object.” She then hopped in the truck and destroyed the radio and dashboard, while proceeding to spill beer in the front seat.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ALLIGATOR, COW DELAY HOUSTON TRAFFIC _ Some days big city traffic can be a nightmare. Other days, it can be a zoo — literally. A cow and an alligator caused traffic delays in Houston on Wednesday during separate incidents. At around 8AM, the cow was spotted moving along Interstate 10 in east Houston, stopping traffic during morning rush hour. A sheriff office’s livestock unit arrived at the scene and was able to get the cow to a nearby cemetery, where it was loaded onto a trailer and reunited with its owners. The cow had escaped from a nearby farm.
… A few hours later, a not fast but furious alligator parked itself on the shoulder of a busy bridge near a Houston suburb. At least one lane of traffic was blocked as several officers, including members of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, placed a rope around the reptile’s neck. After the alligator wrestled and spun on the ground, officers held it down as its mouth was taped shut. The alligator was put in the back of a truck and was taken to a nearby waterway, where it was released.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DON’T GET YOUR DOG DRUNK _ A Japanese woman was charged with animal cruelty after police found her pet dog drunk. Police were called to the woman’s apartment by neighbors who claimed she regularly gave the dog beer during drinking sessions. Police carried out tests on both the woman and her dog and found both had high levels of alcohol in their bloodstreams.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MICHIGAN FARMER BUILDS 250-FOOT POOP WALL _ Feuds between neighbors have existed since the beginning of neighbors. However, one angry neighbor decided to do the wildest, and perhaps most disgusting, thing to get back at their neighbor: build a poop wall. Two Lodi Township, Michigan, neighbors got into a dispute about about where the property line fell, and rather than coming to an agreement, staking a line, building a fence, whatever… it took a turn for the smelly. One of the neighbors created a 250-foot long fence — out of cow poop. As bad as this situation is, local officials said they can’t do anything about it, because the poop fence is on the guy’s property.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR USED STINKY SOCKS _ If you’re going to rob a place, make sure you have clean socks on. A Russian burglar put socks on his hands to avoid leaving fingerprints at a jewelry store. He was caught only a few hours later. Police believe their dog tracked him down from the smell of the stinky socks that were stuffed in his pockets.
ON TELEVISION
FRIDAY
SERIES FINALE: MACGYVER (8p ET, CBS) — CBS has cancelled MacGuyver after 5 seasons.
2021 NFL DRAFT (8p ET, ABC) — Coverage of rounds 2 and 3.
THE BLACKLIST (8p ET, NBC) — New. The task force hatches a plan to steal a Soviet-era cipher machine needed to decrypt coded messages.
WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN (8p ET, FOX) — New.
WORLD’S FUNNIEST ANIMALS: SPRING FLING (8p ET, CW) — Elizabeth Stanton hosts this new special featuring funny animal videos.
MAGNUM P.I. (9p ET, CBS) — New. Magnum’s Uncle Bernardo (Steven Michael Quezada) visits and reveals a shocking secret about Thomas’ mother.
DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition.
BLUE BLOODS (10p ET, CBS) — New. Jamie faces official reprimand from Frank when he refuses to explain why he contests the arrest report of a fellow officer assaulted in the field.
TOM CLANCY’S WITHOUT REMORSE (Amazon Prime) — Michael B. Jordan (Creed) stars in this new action thriller as John Clark, a Navy SEAL seeking justice after the murder of his pregnant wife. He joins forces with a fellow Navy SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and a CIA agent (Jamie Bell).
THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES (Netflix) — In this animated comedy, a robot apocalypse put the brakes on the Mitchell family’s cross-country road trip. Now it’s up to the world’s weirdest to save the human race. Featuring the voices of Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph and Danny McBride.
THE MOSQUITO COAST (Apple TV+) — Justin Theroux and Melissa George star in this new drama series based on the bestselling novel by Paul Theroux (Justin’s real-life uncle). The seven-episode series follows genius inventor and radical idealist Allie Fox and wife Margot, as they uproot their two kids and go on the run from the US government to Mexico.
SATURDAY
INSPIRING AMERICA: THE 2021 INSPIRATION LIST (8p ET, NBC) — Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb host this special, that recognizes influential people who have used their platforms in positive ways. This year’s honorees include NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, chef José Andrés, Lin-Manuel Miranda, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon, Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, the all-civilian crew of the Inspiration4 space mission and America’s teachers. Plus, Jean Trebek will be sharing her memories of her late husband, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.
TENET (8p ET, HBO) — Christopher Nolan’s 2020 sci-fi action thriller stars John David Washington as a C.I.A. agent tasked with taking down a villainous businessman (Kenneth Branagh). Robert Pattinson also stars.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — Repeat.
SUNDAY
THE 147TH KENTUCKY DERBY (2:30p ET, NBC) — The 2021 Kentucky Derby will be broadcast live from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The actual race will kick off at approximately 6:57p ET. There are 20 horses competing, with the favored winner being Essential Quality, with 2-1 odds, while Rock Your World is close behind with 5-1 odds.
AMERICAN IDOL (8p ET, ABC) — The top nine travel to Walt Disney World for a one-on-one session with guest mentor John Stamos. Sofia Carson (The Descendants) will perform a group number, and there will be a performance from Oscar winner Jon Batiste from Pixar’s Soul.
THE EQUALIZER (8p ET, CBS) — New. McCall races to find a woman kidnapped by a serial killer whose past crimes went undetected.
ELLEN’S GAME OF GAMES (8p ET, NBC) — New.
SEASON PREMIERE: DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (8p ET, CW) — Season 6 begins.
SEASON PREMIERE: THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (8p ET, Starz) — The third season centers on an American woman (Julia Goldani Telles) in London.
NCIS: LOS ANGELES (9p ET, CBS) — New. NCIS obtains a hard drive containing a realistic deep fake video of a deceased terrorist and must retrieve the dangerous technology behind it.
ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (9p ET, NBC) — New. Zoey tries to throw all her energy into her relationship, but things get complicated when a double date doesn’t go as planned.
BATWOMAN (9p ET, CW) — New.
FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (9p ET, AMC) — New. An infiltration turns rescue mission as members of the group dig deeper into an underground community.
SERIES PREMIERE: THE STORY OF LATE NIGHT (9p ET, CNN) — This new six-part docuseries looks at late-night TV’s most memorable moments over the past 60 years and explores how it engaged with, adapted to and influenced society. It features archival footage of late-night legends Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and David Letterman, as well as interviews with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Chelsea Handler, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, James Corden, Amber Ruffin, Desus & Mero, Whoopi Goldberg and W. Kamau Bell.
NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (10p ET, CBS) — New. The team investigates the deadly bar bombing and impending criminal turf war involving Sasha Broussard (guest star Callie Thorne).
THE ROOKIE (10p ET, ABC) — New. After rushing his son, Henry, to the hospital following his collapse, Nolan is reunited with his ex-wife (guest star Emily Deschanel, Bones).
GOOD GIRLS (10p ET, NBC) — New. Rio asks Beth to recruit a new team member.
SEASON PREMIERE: POSE (10p ET, FX) — The third season and final season will jump ahead to 1994 and follow its characters into Giuliani-era New York City.
SEASON PREMIERE: UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA (10p ET, CNN) — Comedian W. Kamau Bell’s documentary series returns for a sixth season, with the premiere episode about the history of policing in America.
ENTERTAINMENT
NEW MOVIES _ In theaters and streaming.
• Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse with Michael B. Jordan (Amazon)
• The Mitchells vs. the Machines (animated, on Netflix)
• Cliff Walkers (Theaters)
• Limbo (Theaters)
• Percy vs. Goliath with Christopher Walken (Theaters)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Re-release in theaters)
• Separation (Theaters)
• Things Heard & Seen with Amanda Seyfried (Netflix)
LADY GAGA’S ALLEGED DOGNAPPERS ARRESTED _ Five people who allegedly snatched Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs and left her shot dogwalker for dead have been arrested on attempted murder and robbery charges. The crew had no idea who the pups’ famous owner was when they pulled off the nighttime dog-napping in Los Angeles on February 24 as part of a dogs-for-cash scheme.
… The suspects range in age from 18 to 50. The 50-year-old, Jennifer McBride, is allegedly the “good Samaritan” who found the dogs and tried to turn them into police for the hefty $500,000 reward offered by Lady Gaga.
…. Gaga’s dogwalker, Ryan Fischer, was out with the star’s French bulldogs — Koji, Gustav and Miss Asia — when he was shot by a pair of bandits who fled with two of the pricey pups. Fischer was able to hold onto Miss Asia during the melee. Less than a week later, the good Samaritan reported that she had found Koji and Gustav safe and sound. But police grew suspicious of her tale from the start and advised the Grammy-winning singer not to pay the promised $500,000 reward.
TONI COLLETTE JOINS COLIN FIRTH FOR HBO MAX SERIES _ Toni Collette will star alongside Colin Firth in the HBO Max limited series The Staircase. The eight-episode series is based on the docuseries of the same name as well as various books and reports about the case of Michael Peterson (Firth), who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen (Collette), in 2001. He claimed she died after falling down the stairs at their home, but police suspected he bludgeoned her to death and staged the scene to look like an accident.
NEW TRANSFORMERS MOVIE CASTS JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH BREAKOUT DOMINIQUE FISHBACK _ How do you follow up a breakout performance in a critically acclaimed Oscar-winning movie? In Hollywood these days, it seems like you have two options: Marvel movie or Transformers. Just kidding. Dominique Fishback, who was a force to behold in the Oscar-winning Judas and the Black Messiah, is making a crossover as the latest actor to join the new Transformers movie cast.
… Fishback is in final negotiations to star in the new Transformers movie for Paramount. If she joins the cast she’ll star opposite In the Heights actor Anthony Ramos.
PEACOCK SUBSCRIBERS OVER 42 MILLION THANKS TO THE OFFICE AND WWE _ The new streaming service Peacock now has over 42 million people signed up, likely due to the combined forces of the WWE Network and The Office migrating over to the service exclusively in the US. World Wrestling Entertainment recently merged their streaming service into Peacock, just in time for fans to tune in to this year’s WrestleMania.
JOSH DUGGAR ARRESTED IN ARKANSAS BY FEDS _ Reality TV star Josh Duggar was arrested by federal agents in Arkansas on Thursday in connection to the used car dealership he once owned there. It’s unclear what charges he is facing, but his arrest is related to a 2019 Homeland Security raid on his now-closed used car dealership in Springdale, Arkansas.
… Duggar, the eldest of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s 19 children, rose to fame on 19 Kids and Counting, a TLC show about the family. The show was canceled in 2015 after allegations surfaced that Duggar had molested multiple underage girls — including four of his sisters — when he was a teenager. He issued an apology and was never charged.
… He was hit with another scandal in 2015 after it was revealed that he used Ashley Madison, an online dating service for married people. Duggar admitted to cheating on his wife Anna, 33, and later entered into a faith-based rehab program and attended marriage counseling.
… The couple — who have been married for 12 years — are currently expecting their seventh child.
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE WILL STAR VIGGO MORTENSEN, KRISTEN STEWART _ David Cronenberg — the director behind A History of Violence, Crash and Dead Ringers — is coming back to filmmaking after a seven year break to direct the sci-fi thriller Crimes of the Future. Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux will stare. As for the story, it’s set in the “not-so-distant future where humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings. This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, altering their biological makeup. While some embrace the limitless potential of transhumanism, others attempt to police it.”
LENA HEADEY JOINS HBO WATERGATE SERIES _ Lena Headey has joined the HBO series The White House Plumbers, which delves into the Watergate scandal. Headey joins previously announced cast members Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, and Domhnall Gleeson. The five-episode series tells the story of how President Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds accidentally toppled the Presidency they were zealously trying to protect.
SWEET TOOTH NETFLIX RELEASE DATE AND TRAILER _ There’s a trailer for the new Netflix drama based on the comic book series Sweet Tooth. The series is all about a young child working his way through a post-apocalyptic world with little more than a doe-eyed love for sweets guiding the way. • VIDEO
… Based on Jeff Lemire’s DC Comics comic book of the same name, Sweet Tooth takes place ten years after a global catastrophe all but destroys civilization. The story follows Gus, aka Sweet Tooth, a boy who is one part deer, one part human. He’s a “hybrid,” a part-animal human, feared and hated by the remnants of humanity.
… The first season of Sweet Tooth arrives June 4 on Netflix.
RED BAND TRAILER FOR WRATH OF MAN _ A new red band trailer for the Jason Statham revenge film Wrath of Man was released Thursday. In it, musician Post Malone is seen being taken down by Statham’s character, who’s on a mission to avenge the death of his son. • VIDEO
… Co-starring Josh Hartnett and Scott Eastwood, Wrath of Man hits theaters May 7.
🔈 PRO AUDIO PAGE
DOG-LIZARD FIGHT
Texas woman dog gets in fight with large lizard. (April 30 News & Nuggets)
PHONER: ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
What’s your animal encounter story? Visit the Pro Audio page for three calls to encourage local calls.
DROP
Brave. Versatile. Sensible. Adorable. Happy.
BITS & BREAKS
CROONING IN THE CAR
A survey finds that nine out of ten people sing in their cars.
• Eight in ten won’t sing if anyone else is in the car.
• Women and redheads are most likely to sing on the road.
• SUV drivers are more likely than anyone else to sing in the car.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
I don’t know who needs to hear this but if the house is 73 degrees and you want it to be 68, turning the thermostat down to 60 doesn’t get you to 68 any quicker. And by “I don’t know who” I mean my wife, but I can’t tell her because she is pregnant and scares me. (@jonrittgers)
TOPIC: YOU’RE THE NEW CEO OF MCDONALD’S
Here’s an interesting question that popped up on social media: You’re the new CEO of McDonald’s — what’s the first item on your agenda?
• Bring back McDonalds pizza.
• Put out some menu boards leading up to the drive-thru speaker so when I get to the speaker I’m ready to order.
• McRib Milkshakes!
• Double the tartar sauce rations on the Fillet-o-Fish
… So many ways this conversation can go. Side-note: Do you remember when McDonald’s was doing side-by-side drive-thrus? They have that at the order boards at some locations, but this was side-by-side at pick-up. I remember going to a McDonald’s where the customer on the farther drive-thru lane was served with something similar to a drive-thru bank tube.
SPACE TOURIST SLOGANS
This fall, and then again January, some tourists will be taking a SpaceX ship into space. And next week people will be able to buy tickets on the BlueOrigin craft, which is backed by Jeff Bezos. As space tourism increases in popularity, companies will need slogans. Some of my suggestions:
• Come For The View, Stay For The Possible Klingon Attacks.
• In Space, No One Can Hear You Lose Your Luggage.
• You Are Just Four Million Light Years From The Nearest Starbucks In The Andromeda Galaxy.
FUN & GAMES
TRIVIA: In an average lifetime of 70 years, this rests about 40 years. (The human heart. It rests between beats.)
TRIVIA: 93 percent of Americans eat what at last once a month? (Pizza)
TRIVIA: Each year 132,000 births in the U.S. have this in common. (They are sets of twins.)
DERBY HORSE OR NOT
The Kentucky Derby is Saturday.
• Known Agenda
• Hot Rod Charlie
• Nobody’s Business (NOT)
• Midnight Bourbon
• Three Point Shot (NOT)
• Slightly Husky (NOT)
HOLE IN THE HEADLINE
Guess the word that’s missing from this news headline: MAN THROWS ______ INTO PLANE ENGINE FOR GOOD LUCK!
A) Coins*
B) Ear of corn
C) Bottle of wine
A China airline canceled a flight after a passenger threw a handful of coins into the engine of a plane for good luck. In a statement shared to social media, the airline said that airport staffers noticed coins on the ground under the engine in an inspection before takeoff. The man admitted that he threw a handful of coins toward the plane. Authorities were able to recover all six coins, but the airline decided to cancel the flight as a safety measure. Nearly 150 passengers were escorted off the flight, which was delayed until the next day.
DATEBOOK: MAY 3, 2021
• Frankie Valli is 87
• Sports personality Greg Gumbel is 75
• Amy Ryan (Bridge of Spies, The Office) is 53
• Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire, Spider-Man films) is 51
• TV personality Willie Geist (Today) is 46
• Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) is 46
• Dule’ Hill (Psych, The West Wing) is 46
• Tanya Wright (Orange Is The New Black) is 43
• Dancer Cheryl Burke (Dancing With The Stars) is 37
IT HAPPENED TODAY
• 1937: Gone with the Wind, a novel by Margaret Mitchell, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
• 1973: The Sears Tower in Chicago was topped out as the world’s tallest building.
• 1991: The final episode of the original Dallas aired on CBS. It lasting 13 seasons in prime-time.
• 1999: When late-night customers at a Madrid, Spain, gas station realized the attendant was sleeping, they filled up without paying and told their friends. The party ended $1,000 later when police noticed the commotion and woke the attendant.
• 2000: The sport of Geocaching began, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet.
• 2003: A lovesick man in Jesi, Italy, stole an ambulance so he could serenade his girlfriend with the siren. The girlfriend’s neighbors complained to police while the 38-year-old man sang.
• 2006: A study by Salary.com reported a full-time stay-at-home mother would earn $134,121 a year if paid for all her work.
• 2014: Donald Sterling, L.A. Clippers owner, was banned for life after reports of his racist comments.
• 2018: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences membership voted to expel Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski.
• 2018: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan became the NFL’s first $30 million per season player after agreeing to $150 million contract extension.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Be Kind To Animals Week
• Correctional Officer’s Week
• Small Business Week
• Update Your References Week
• Sun Safety Week
• Teacher Appreciation Week
• Two Different Colored Shoes Day
• Public Radio Day
• Raspberry Tart Day
• Chocolate Custard Day
PRO DATEBOOK: FEBRUARY 22, 2021
• Kyle MacLachlan is 62
• Rachel Dratch (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live) is 55
• Paul Lieberstein (The Office) is 54
• Jeri Ryan (Boston Public, Star Trek: Voyager) is 53
• TV co-host Clinton Kelly (The Chew, What Not to Wear) is 52
• Thomas Jane (The Sweetest Thing) is 52
• Drew Barrymore is 46
IT HAPPENED TODAY
• 1924: Calvin Coolidge became the first President of the United States to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House.
• 1959: Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500.
• 1989: Aldo J. Jacuzzi died at age 67. He pioneered the whirlpool bath pump.
• 2008: A show week on Oprah dealt with shlumpadinkas. Oprah created that word to describe a woman who had completely given up on how she looks.
• 2008: A 70-year-old Iranian man was sentenced to four months in jail and 30 lashes for walking his dog. Owners of domestic animals are forbidden from taking them on the streets of the city because Islam considers dogs to be impure.
• 2015: At the 87th Academy Awards, Birdman was awarded Best Picture.
• 2019: Actor Jussie Smollett was suspended from the show Empire after it was revealed the actor made false claims about a racist and homophobic attack.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• George Washington’s birthday
• For The Love of Mike Day
• Margarita Day
• National Wildlife Day
• Play More Cards Day
• Single Tasking Day
• World Thinking Day
• Cook a Sweet Potato Day
NUMBER FOR THE DAY
10,000: Cost, in dollars, to build a parking space in a parking deck or parking garage. So a parking garage with 250 spaces would cost roughly $2.5 million.
NEWS ATTACK!
A 139-year-old house was moved six blocks to a new location in San Francisco. [Imagine the shock an Amazon delivery driver would have if the address on an order wasn’t changed until moving day.]
Dr. Fauci says it’s possible we could still need to wear masks next year. [I’m trying to get (cohost) to change his paper mask. It’s so worn it’s now a tissue paper mask.]
Officials at a school in British Columbia had windows screwed shut or blocked from opening wider than a few inches after teachers began using them to compensate for poor ventilation. [Administrators would change their minds if they were required to share their office with 24 smelly sixth graders.]
Close to two-thirds of Americans who have not yet retired say that when the time comes they will work for pay after retiring. The reason given most often has nothing to do with money — they simply want to stay busy. [Why do you think there are so many senior citizens working as crossing guards? It ain’t the pay… it’s so they can keep busy slowing up traffic even when they’re not in a car.]
Roughly 4 in 10 Americans say they would choose to vote from their computer or mobile device in the next election if possible. [Preferably in an app called Candy Crush: Election 2024.]
A report found that farmers markets aren’t that great of a deal. [Unless you happen to go on a day when both the vegetables and the hippies have been washed.]
A woman in Brazil underwent routine cosmetic surgery for a tummy tuck and a breast job. But after surgery she mysteriously developed the compulsion to steal. [Mainly belts and bras.]
A survey of drivers found that a majority of them talk to their cars regularly and 20% worry about its feelings. [I hear my neighbor talking to his SUV all the time. He says stuff like, “Why can’t you be like your older brother, the Honda Fit, and get more miles to the gallon?”]
NEWS & NUGGETS
WE COULD BE WEARING MASKS IN 2022 _ Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that it’s “possible” Americans will still need to wear masks in 2022 to protect against the coronavirus. The good news he shared is that as we “get into the fall and the winter, by the end of the year, I agree with [President Biden] completely that we will be approaching a degree of normality.”
🎧 CHOIR SINGING IMPROVES BRAIN FUNCTION _ Here’s some research that’s sure to be music to the ears of folks who love to sing. Choir singing boosts brain function and creates a greater sense of togetherness, particularly in older people. The new study suggests that joining a choir could help fight age-related cognitive decline and “chronic loneliness,” which affects around one in 10 older people.
HEARING IMPAIRMENT ON THE RISE _ A survey of mostly middle-aged adults reveals that among people aged 45 to 54, one in nine shows signs of hearing impairment. The researchers tested hearing in more than 2,800 adults between the ages of 21 to 84. Over that large range, one in seven had lost some degree of hearing, and as expected, the rate of hearing loss increased with age. Almost all of those older than 80 — about 90 percent — had lost some hearing, but the rate had already reached one in nine among adults 45 to 54 years old, the largest age group in the population.
HANDS-OFF PARENTS _ The trouble with “kids these days” may be the parents. One in five US teens say they live with “hands-off” adults who seldom set rules and do little to monitor their behavior. Researchers (Columbia University) claim that “hands-off” teens are four times more likely to smoke, drink and use drugs than teens with “hands-on” parents. The message is “loud and clear” according to the study and it says that Moms and Dads should be parents to their kids instead of pals.
… Hands-off parents put their kids at risk by failing to monitor their activities or academic performance, failing to restrict TV, internet use and gaming, and failing to warn their kids against the use of drugs. Researchers estimate that more than 60% of US teens live in a “hands-off” household.
SCHOOL OFFICIALS ORDER WINDOWS SCREWED SHUT _ Officials at a school in British Columbia (Abbotsford) had windows in the building either screwed shut or blocked from opening wider than a few inches after teachers began using them to compensate for poor ventilation. Teachers at Godson Elementary School had assumed a proper ventilation system was installed throughout the entire school — to maintain airflow and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission — but they were shocked to learn that this wasn’t the case in an older wing of the building. After teachers began opening windows wide to increase airflow in the affected classrooms — despite cold temperatures outside — the school district responded by sending contractors to fix the issue. The move has outraged the teachers’ union, which says ventilation problems are widespread in schools across the province, making school staff anxious about the heightened risk of COVID-19 outbreaks.
U.S. COVID-19 DEATHS SURPASS 500,000 _ COVID-19 has claimed an astonishing number of American lives — surpassing half a million Sunday. The good news is the vaccines are going into arms at a rapid pace — lately around 1.5 million per day. Still, we are nowhere close to vaccinating enough people to achieve herd immunity. Around 70 percent of Americans — possibly even more — must be vaccinated to achieve that goal.
WOMEN DRESS LIKE GRANNIES TO SKIP COVID VACCINE LINE _ Watch out Florida Man, it looks like we’ve got Florida Grannies running around down there now. Two women dressed like grannies tried to skip the line and get the COVID vaccine. The Florida Department of Health in Orange County noticed that two women who showed up to get their second dose of the COVID vaccine “looked funny.” The women were apparently wearing bonnets and gloves, despite the 60-degree temperatures. And while they had vaccination cards showing that they had already received their first dose, employees noticed issues with their names and birth dates not matching up with their identifications. That’s when the police were called in, and it was discovered that the ladies were actually only 34 and 44 years old — and Florida is currently only vaccinating people who are 65 and older. Body camera footage shows police scolding the two wannabe-grannies for jumping the line, telling the women that they’ve “stolen a vaccine from somebody that needs it” more than them, and giving the two not-so-golden girls a trespass warning from the premises. • VIDEO
POLICE SAY DRUNK DRIVER HAD .77 BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL _ There’s drunk driving and then there’s druuunk driving. An Oregon (Madras) driver and hit-and-run suspect crashed Friday afternoon and was found to have a blood alcohol level of .77, more than nine times the legal limit.
SAN FRANCISCO HOUSE MOVED TO NEW LOCATION _ After 139 years at 807 Franklin St. in San Francisco, a two-story Victorian house has a new address. The home was loaded onto giant dollies and moved Sunday to a location six blocks away — at 1 MPH.
… The house moving company had to secure permits from more than 15 city agencies. This particular move was tricky in part because the first part of the journey involved going downhill. Along the route, parking meters were ripped up, tree limbs were trimmed and traffic signs were relocated. The owner of the six-bedroom house paid about $400,000 in fees and moving costs.
ONE THOUSAND SNOWMEN BUILT IN POLAND TO RAISE MONEY FOR TODDLER _ Several dozen people gathered beside a frozen lake in eastern Poland over the weekend to build a thousand snowmen to raise money for a sick toddler. Organizers of the fundraising event (in Korycin) hope to help pay for life-saving treatment for a 21-month old (Bartek Bojarzyński), who has a serious heart defect. The boy needs specialist surgery that can only be performed at a hospital in the United States, and supporters hope to raise over $180,000 to enable him to have the operation, scheduled for April 2.
RESTAURANT OWNER SPENT $2,000 TO PROMOTE HIS COMPETITORS _ A Wisconsin restaurant owner is using his own money to help struggling local restaurants during the pandemic. Adolfo Melendez, owner of Tex-Mex restaurant El Mezcal in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, has purchased more than $2,000 in gift cards to restaurants in his community to raffle off to his customers. As of December 1, 2020, more than 110,000 eating and drinking establishments across the country have closed temporarily or for good as a result of the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association.
… Melendez says his restaurant got second place in a local contest for favorite restaurants and his ‘prize’ was having $300 in gift cards purchased from him. At that moment Melendez figured he needed to pay it forward. At the end of last year, he began to buy gift cards from local restaurants in his community and raffling them off to customers on his restaurant’s Facebook page. Winners received $20 gift card to a local restaurant.
PARTS FALL FROM SKY IN PLANE SCARE _ Passengers were settling back into their airplane seats and starting to relax when a huge explosion and flash of light interrupted an in-flight announcement. The Boeing 777-200, headed from Denver to Honolulu on Saturday with 231 passengers and 10 crew aboard, suffered a catastrophic failure in its right engine and flames erupted under the wing as the plane began to lose altitude. On the ground, people in a Denver suburb reacted in horror as huge pieces of the engine casing and chunks of fiberglass rained down on a sports field and on streets and lawns, just missing one home and crushing a truck. The explosion, visible from the ground, left a trail of black smoke in the sky, and tiny pieces of insulation filled the air like ash. The plane landed safely at Denver International Airport, and no one on board or on the ground was hurt. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the airplane experienced a right-engine failure shortly after takeoff.
… Video and images posted on Twitter showed the engine fully engulfed in flames as the plane flew through the air.
A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: HOW MUCH CAN YOU SPEND WITHOUT CHECKING WITH YOUR SPOUSE? _ What’s the most amount of money one person in a marriage can spend without checking in with the other? Ameriprise Financial released a survey that found the average spending limit that necessitated a conversation was $400.
🗣 What’s the most you can spend without checking with yours spouse?
WACKY-BUT-TRUE
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAILMAN TOOK MONEY FROM RETURNED MAIL _ A German postman was busted for stealing about $15,000 out of undeliverable mail. The man took mail returned to the post office and went through it to steal any cash inside. The man worked at the lost mail distribution center and was arrested after police found envelopes from stolen mail inside his recycling bin. Money was recovered from the man’s residence.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN COLLECTED CASH, CIGS AT ILLEGAL TOLL _ In China, a guy wanted money. So he set up a makeshift roadblock and started charging a toll to truck drivers. For payment he accepted cash or cigarettes. The man was sentence to some prison time and one year of probation for “picking quarrels and provoking troubles”.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN GIVES FALSE NAME DESPITE HIS TATTOO _ Police in the UK began to suspect that the man they pulled over was lying when he identified himself as James — despite a tattoo with the name Pauly on the back of his neck. After being pulled over for driving erratically, Pauly had identified himself as his brother.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLICE FIND KITTENS IN ‘SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE’ _ The Butler County, Ohio, bomb squad was called to a church (in New Miami) on Thursday. When the responding officers heard purring instead of ticking in a black bag, they used their X-ray equipment to view what was inside. Six day-old kittens and their mother were found along with a note stating they had been born on Wednesday. The note said the mom’s name is “Sprinkles”. They are being cared for at a local humane society.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR TELLS UK WOMAN ‘IT’S NOT YOUR HOUSE’ _ In the UK a burglar reportedly told his victim that her house was not hers anymore after he spent quite a bit of time drinking and eating during the theft. A court heard that the thief tried to make himself feel at home by consuming food from the fridge. He also took a can of Foster’s lager when he felt the need to quench his thirst. When the owner came home she asked the man what he was doing. He replied, “It’s not your house because I’ve been here all day.”
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN’S SCHEME TO GET A DAY OFF ENDS IN ARREST _ An Arizona man found earlier this month near a water tower, his hands bound with a belt and a bandana stuffed in his mouth, had a harrowing tale for police. Brandon Soules told authorities that two masked men knocked him unconscious, put him in a vehicle, and drove him around before dumping him at the tower (in Coolidge). The kidnappers’ motive, he said, was a large amount of money his father had hidden around town. Investigators, however, determined that Soules story was false. As for Soule’s motive for lying: Police say he “made up the story as an excuse to get out of work.”
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHICKEN FARMER VISITED BY ALIENS WHO LEFT PANCAKES _ This one’s from the Wacky-But-True Wayback Machine: In 1961 a farmer in Wisconsin said that he was visited by the aliens who left him a gift. The 60-year-old said he saw an object land on his farm. He shared that the metallic UFO was like two reversed bowls with “exhaust pipes” on the edge of it. The UFO didn’t land fully on the ground but when the door opened the farmer came in contact with three aliens wearing helmets who seemed to be of “Italian descent.” They gifted him with some pancakes.
ON TELEVISION
THE NEIGHBORHOOD (8p ET, CBS) — New. Dave insists Calvin see a doctor after learning he hadn’t been in nearly a decade. Michael Gladis (Mad Men, and series star Beth Behrs’ husband) guest stars.
THE BACHELOR (8p ET, ABC) — New. The final women’s loved ones arrive at the resort to meet Matt.
ELLEN’S GAME OF GAMES (8p ET, NBC) — New.
9-1-1 (8p ET, FOX) — New. The team believes their firehouse superstition has come true when they have the day from hell with a never-ending series of bizarre emergency calls.
ALL-AMERICAN (8p ET, CW) — New.
BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA (8:30p ET, CBS) — New. After Tayo forbids Dele from dancing, Abishola enlists Bob’s help in talking to Dele about his feelings.
ELLEN’S GAME OF GAMES (9p ET, NBC) — New.
ALL RISE (9p ET, CBS) — New. Emily and Sam face off in a case that will determine the fate of a mentally ill young man who attacked his father.
9-1-1: LONESTAR (9p ET, FOX) — New. Owen and T.K. risk their lives to save two brothers trapped in a homemade minefield.
BLACK LIGHTNING (9p ET, CW) — New.
SEASON PREMIERE: SPRING BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP (9p ET, Food Network) — Eleven bakers begin season 7 by making farmstand breakfast treats, then they try to impress with a cake and dessert tribute to happy, dancing cows.
SERIES PREMIERE: BEARTOWN (9p ET, HBO) — This new imported drama series, based on the bestselling novel of the same name, explores the role a junior ice-hockey team has in a small community, the secrets that could tear the town apart, the courage it takes to go against the group and the consequences of how we raise our children.
BULL (10p ET, CBS) — New. Bull uses the First Amendment’s freedom of speech to defend a controversial news commentator blamed for a man’s suicide.
THE WALL (10p ET, NBC) — New.
THE GOOD DOCTOR (10p ET, ABC) — New. The hospital is hit with a cyberattack threatening to shut down life-saving machines.
ENTERTAINMENT
BOX OFFICE _ The Croods: A New Age Was the No. 1 movie in North America again over the weekend, earning an additional $1.7 million. Coming in at No. 2 was The Little Things with $1.2 million, followed by Judas and the Black Messiah at No. 3 with $905,000, Wonder Woman 1984 at No. 4 with $805,000 and The Marksman at No. 5 with $775,000.
… One year ago this week the number one movie was Sonic The Hedgehog
… Five years ago this week: Deadpool
… Ten years ago this week: Unknown
… Twenty years ago this week: Hannibal
ARMY OF THE DEAD’ MOVIE TO DEBUT ON NETFLIX MAY 21 _ The zombie-apocalypse film Army of the Dead will debut on Netflix on May 21. Set in Las Vegas, the movie stars Dave Bautista. The story follows a group of mercenaries who “take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.” The project was written and directed by Zack Snyder. The first teaser for the film is coming Thursday. • IMAGE
A STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION REBOOT MOVIE _ There’s a lot of nostalgia for the ’90s going around the Star Trek franchise right now, with Lower Decks paying homage to that era of the franchise and the upcoming Prodigy animated series bringing back Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway. There’s also Picard, a continuation of Star Trek: The Next Generation. But could the movie series follow the trend of the TV shows and switch from rebooting ’60s Trek to TNG?
… That’s what Brent Spiner is expecting. The actor thinks it’s just a matter of time before Paramount gives the Next Generation cast the same treatment they gave Kirk and the rest of the original Enterprise crew and reboot them on the big screen.
SHAQ COLLABORATES WITH FROSTED FLAKES FLAVOR IS COMING _ If you were one of the people who felt cheated when Kellogg’s discontinued their Cinnamon Frosted Flakes release, then buckle up, because the ride isn’t over just yet. The iconic brand, which released Mashups, Frosted Flakes with Marshmallows, and cereal bars all in 2020, just announced the release of a new flavor: Frosted Flakes with Crispy Cinnamon Basketballs.
… Though the cinnamon-flavor aspect of the newest release may not quite be what you had in mind, what is new is the brand’s first collaborative effort with an athlete. Teaming up with superfan and Hall of Fame basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, the one-of-a-kind collaboration marks the first time Tony the Tiger has shared the front of the box with someone else.
… They will be available in April.
JOHN TRAVOLTA LISTS COUNTRY MANOR FOR $5 MILLION _ John Travolta has listed his sprawling estate in Maine for $5 million. The 67-year-old actor has listed the 10,830-square-foot, 20-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom residence in Islesboro, Maine, following the death of his wife, actress Kelly Preston. Preston died of cancer in July of 2020, and according to Variety, Travolta and Preston had already begun to make some changes in their extensive portfolio of real estate holdings prior to her death.
… The massive mansion was built in 1904, but it’s been renovated and meticulously maintained over the years. It boasts a staggering 42 rooms, including a spacious living room with a fieldstone fireplace, a custom-built bar area, a dining room with a fireplace, an oversized kitchen with a walk-in refrigerator and extensive pantries. The first floor also includes an office and a laundry room. The second floor consists of a master bedroom suite that opens onto a private sun porch. That suite has a full bathroom with a claw-foot tub and separate shower. The second floor also features 14 other bedrooms and 4 additional full bathrooms. The entire third floor of the home is made up as a children’s wing, including four themed bedrooms and a full bathroom, a separate schoolhouse, a library, a diner and a built-in theater stage.
🔈 PRO AUDIO PAGE
PHONER
What do you put in your chili? February 25 is National Chili Day so here are a bunch of calls to help fire up your local phones. 👏 A big thank you to Jeff Roper for sharing the clips! Share your phoner audio here.
AUDIO FROM MARS
The Mars rover Perceverance has sent back color images, video and even audio.
CHOIR SINGING
A choir sings Stayin’ Alive. (2/22 News & Nuggets)
MYSTERY VOICE
Robert De Niro
GUY CALLS 911 ABOUT SNOW PLOWS
Snow. Anyone else tired of it? Sit back, relax and enjoy this 911 call made by a Canadian guy one year ago this month.
PHONER
What are the snow shoveling rules for your kids? Here are a few calls to help with the phones.
BITS & BREAKS
WHAT PHRASE/SENTENCE ARE YOU SICK OF HEARING?
TOPIC: What phrase or sentence are you sick of hearing? The internet says…
• In these unprecedented times.
• This is how we’ve always done it.
• It’s all part of God’s plan.
• Rules are meant to be broken.
• Time to put on your big boy/big girl pants.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
via @SarahArcherM
Every chef right now: Today I’m going to show you how to make something simple with ingredients everyone has in their pantry, since you can’t go to the store. I’m starting with Madagascar vanilla, hemp milk, and a single feather from a dodo bird.
DO YOU TALK TO YOUR CAR?
TOPIC: A survey of drivers found that a majority of them talk to their cars regularly and 20 percent worry about its feelings. Do you talk to your car? When and why?
PEOPLE SHARE THEIR FIRST DATE NIGHTMARES
Soon, hopefully, singles will be going on dates again. People shared their first date stories…
• We met at a Burger King. He walked in with velcro shoes, then kept smiling at an older woman who came in before me. Found out the woman was his mother and she was “supervising” our date.
• She came in, saw me, asked me if I am the person she was set up with and left after she said, “Sorry, I have a boyfriend.”
• The dude was running late and he came in his work outfit. He was wearing a pizza mascot costume.
• He asked me if I could take my shoes off at the restaurant table so he could see my feet.
• He introduced me to the waiter as his fiance, then he was trying to plan our life.
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YESTERDAY
• About 25 percent of the population sneeze when they are exposed to light.
• In humans, the epidermal layer of skin, which consists of many layers of skin regenerates every 27 days.
• Eating dandelions can make you urinate more.
• Medical reports show that about 18 percent of the population are prone to sleepwalking.
• The aorta, which is largest artery located in the body, is about the diameter of a garden hose.
• You spend about three years of your life in the toilet.
• People whose mouth has a narrow roof are more likely to snore. This is because they have less oxygen going through their nose.
• There are more chickens in the world than people
• Every day, the average person swallows about a quart of snot.
• Manicuring the nails has been done by people for more than 4,000 years.
• The slowest growing finger nail is on the thumb nail and the fastest growing is the finger nail on the middle finger.
FUN & GAMES
TRIVIA: Around the world the average amount of time a person spends on this each day is 1.1 hours. (Travel)
RIDDLE
Head and tail are equal;
my middle is barely there.
Right side up or upside down,
the same I do appear.
But if you cut my head off,
nothing would be there.
What am I?
Answer: The number 8.
WHAT’S IN COMMON
What do the following things have in common?
• The cost of living
• An escalator
• An umbrella
• Warm air
• A zipper
Answer: They all go up.
HOLE IN THE HEADLINE
Guess the word that’s missing from this news headline: “MINNESOTA BUSINESS SELLING SELF-CLEANING ______!”
A) Underwear*
B) Microwaves
C) Dogs
A Minnesota company called HercLéon has created bed sheets and underwear that you don’t have to wash for months. HercLéon’s entire business model is based around things you don’t need to wash as often and they’ll still smell great. HercLéon sells shirts, socks, and a hat that can be worn over and over and still smell great.
… All of their products, including the underwear, are made with this fabric they call HercFiber, which they claim is a bacteria-fighting fabric. On their site, they talk about how the founder of the company spent years researching this fabric to perfect it. About the company’s underwear, they list out all of the benefits that HercFiber has. They say it fights bacteria, stays cool, stays dry, luxury soft, ultra-durable, and blocks UV waves.
DATEBOOK: FEBRUARY 23, 2021
• Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement) is 70
• Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) is 56
• Daymond John (Shark Tank) is 52
• Niecy Nash (Reno 911!) is 51
• Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) is 45
• Josh Gad (Frozen, Jobs) is 40
• Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) is 38
• Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place, The Devil Wears Prada) is 38
• Dakota Fanning is 27
IT HAPPENED TODAY
• 1991: President George H.W. Bush announced that the allied ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun.
• 1997: Scientists in Scotland announced they had cloned an adult mammal, producing a lamb named Dolly.
• 2005: In Berlin, Germany, an unidentified man broke into a car. He was hard at work trying to pry the car’s radio out of the dash but it turned out to be an exhausting job and before long he was sound asleep. And that’s how the cops found him, still clutching his screwdriver.
• 2014: The Sochi Winter Olympics ended. On this last day of the competitions, Canada beat Sweden in men’s hockey.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Curling is Cool Day
• Diesel Engine Day
• Tootsie Roll Day
• Play Tennis Day
• Banana Bread Day
ONE YEAR OLDER: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 _ Lily Tomlin is 82 • Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees is 75 • Dr. Phil is 71 • Gloria Estefan is 64 • Author, model and TV host Padma Lakshmi is 51 • Formula 1 driver Carols Sainz Jr. is 27 • Singer/actress Zendaya (Spider-Man films) is 25
SPECIAL EVENTS _ Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day • Random Acts of Kindness Day or Be Kind Day • World Letter Writing Day • Cherry Popover Day • Ginger Cat Appreciation Day
9 IN 10 COLLEGE STUDENTS BATTLE FEAR OF BEING WITHOUT SMARTPHONE _ A study (by the American Academy of Medicine) shows 9 in 10 college students battle “nomophobia,” or the fear of being out of smartphone contact.
GROSS THINGS FOUND IN KIDS’ BEDROOMS _ A survey of parents show 78 percent “dread” cleaning their kids rooms when they move out, either off to college or to their first apartment. 🗣 TOPIC: What’s the grossest thing you’ve ever found in your kid’s bedroom?
MEN ARE LIARS _ To the shock of no one, a survey found that men lie more than women. The average guy lies three times a day, or 1,092 times a year. Women say they lie just twice a day.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DON’T INSPECT A GAS TANK WITH A LIGHTER _ Three men trying to steal fuel from a farm in the Ukraine ended up setting fire to their own car. The trio had siphoned diesel fuel into a gas-driven vehicle. When their car would not start, they examined the fuel tank using a cigarette lighter. One click and the car burst into flames. The men escaped without injury.
ONLY AT WALMART _ Each Walmart is its own planet with its own unique species of creatures.
• Salinas, California — A couple tried to sell a baby for $25 in a Walmart parking lot. They were arrested before they could make a sale thanks to a sharp employee.
• Canton, Ohio — A man relieved himself on $600 worth of steaks.
• St. Augustine, Florida — A customer found a 5-foot-long dead shark in a shopping cart outside the store.
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina — Employees tried to stop a shoplifter as she was leaving the store but she punched one of the employees in the head and bit down on another employee’s finger, biting a portion of it off.
IF YOU HAD TO GIVE UP ONE OF YOUR SENSES _ See what your audience thinks. A survey asked: “If you were forced to give up one of your senses, which one would it be?” The results:
• Smell – 57%
• Taste – 27%
• Hearing – 7%
• Touch – 5%
• Sight – 4%
HORROR MOVIE GARDEN GNOMES _ Love garden gnomes? Love horror movies? Amazon’s selling Horror Movie Garden Gnomes — 5-inch tall garden gnomes that look like some of your favorite horror movie characters. The set of 11 is $97. • LINK
NEWS ATTACK! _ An Australian survey found turning off the TV, picking up a crossword puzzle, and eating more fish could be the keys to a better memory. [And to fewer matches on Tinder.]
ONE YEAR OLDER: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 _ Valerie Perrine is 78 • Costas Mandylor (Picket Fences) is 56 • Charlie Sheen is 56 • Ashley Jones (True Blood) is 45 • Joel Johnstone (Archie Cleary in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is 43 • Nick Wechsler (Revenge, Roswell) is 43 • Garrett Hedlund (Tron) is 37 • Snowboarder Shaun White is 35 • And today is… Bring Your Manners To Work Day • College Colors Day • Lazy Mom’s Day • Chianti Day • Doodle Day • Food Bank Day • Stand Up To Cancer Day • Pressed Pennies Day • Skyscraper Day • Baby Back Ribs Day
ONE YEAR OLDER: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 _ Mitzi Gaynor is 90 • Judith Ivey is 70 • Khandi Alexander (ER, NewsRadio) is 64 • Damon Wayans is 61 • Noah Taylor (Game of Thrones) is 52. • Ione Skye is 51 • Music producer Mark Ronson is 46 • Wes Bentley (American Beauty) is 43 • Max Greenfield (New Girl) is 42 • Beyonce’ is 40 • Whitney Cummings (Whitney) is 39 • Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) is 37 • And today is… Bacon Day • Cowgirl Day • Play Outside Day • Tailgating Day • Turkey Vulture Day • National Wildlife Day • Newspaper Carrier Day • World Beard Day • Macadamia Nut Day
ONE YEAR OLDER: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 _ Bob Newhart is 92 • William Devane is 82 • Raquel Welch is 81 • Michael Keaton is 70 • Dweezil Zappa is 52 • Rose McGowan is 48 • Carice Van Houten (Game of Thrones) is 45 • And today is… Bowling League Day • Be Late For Something Day • Jury Rights Day • Cheese Pizza Day • Pet Rock Day
TWEET OF THE WEEK _ What’s longer, a treadmill minute or a coworker making you watch a funny YouTube video that isn’t funny minute? (@svershbow)
WHAT FAST FOOD CHAIN HAS THE BEST BURGER? _ 🗣 TOPIC: We know (local place, local place and local place) have great burgers, but what fast food chain has the best burger?
HOW DO YOU MAKE NEW FRIENDS AS AN ADULT? _ 🗣 TOPIC: How do you make friends as an adult? Some suggestions on social media:
• If you run join a local running group.
• Take cooking classes. Even if you’re already a pretty good you can up your game while you meet new people.
• If you ride a motorcycle go to shop-sponsored bike runs/rides.
HERE’S HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD BE WASHING YOUR SHEETS _ There are few things more comforting than climbing into a bed with freshly laundered sheets. The problem, of course, is the labor involved in washing those sheets. But make no mistake. You should be washing your bed sheets regularly. According to CNET, sheets collect residue from the bodies occupying them. Skin oil, dead skin cells, saliva, and sweat all accumulate. The dead skin cells are especially problematic, as they help nourish dust mites, tiny little insects that can inhabit your bed and leave tiny droppings. Even worse, people who sleep in the buff may be leaving small amounts of fecal matter behind. At a certain point, your sheets may become the equivalent of sleeping in a six-month-old pile of dirty underwear.
… When it comes to washing sheets, some might opt for once a month — but that’s not enough. A better schedule for sheets is once every one to two weeks, minimum. If you sweat, opt for once a week. To combat the dust mites, washing in hot water (at least 130°F) is recommended. Hot water and immediate washing is also needed if you’re just getting over an illness.
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CROOKS SNAP SELFIES WITH FOUND PHONE _ In Argentina three guys stole some fertilizer. While they were there one of them spotted a cellphone. The guys couldn’t resist taking pictures of themselves. Only one problem: the phone had been set up to auto-upload photos to the cloud. Cops were able to identify and track down the crooks pretty easily.
WHAT BODY PART DO YOU WASH FIRST? _ When you step into a shower, which part of the body do you wash first? Which part you wash first says a lot about you.
• CHEST: You are practical person. To you, convenience is of paramount importance.
• FACE: Money is important to you.
• ARMPITS: You are a dependable and hard working person.
• HAIR: Artistic type. Daydreaming is your hobby but you can achieve what most other people cannot.
• PRIVATES: Shy type. You lack self confidence and have a very small circle of friends.
• SHOULDER: You really like to spend time alone and you see the world as difficult.
• KNEES AND BELOW: You’re fun and are always up for new things.
NEWS ATTACK! _ Researchers may be on the right track for finding a cure for baldness. [Forget cancer — can’t you see we’re busy bringing an end to the combover?]
COUNTRY DATEBOOK: MAY 3, 2021
• 1983: ALABAMA’s album The Closer You Get was certified platinum. Hits included the title track, Mountain Music and Why, Lady Why.
• 1993: BILLY RAY CYRUS’ album Some Gave All was certified multi-platinum for sales of 7 million copies. Hits included Achy Breaky Heart, Could’ve Been Me and She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore.
• 1994: GARTH BROOKS and ALAN JACKSON were the big winners at the 30th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Garth wasn’t at the show because he was home with then wife Sandy, who was expecting their second daughter.
• 1997: TRAVIS TRITT, BILL ANDERSON and STONEWALL JACKSON were among the stars who attended the 50th Anniversary party for Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop in Nashville.
• 2003: BUDDY JEWELL was named the first Nashville Star.
• 2010: TAYLOR SWIFT announced a partnership with Cover Girl.
• 2015: TOBY KEITH’s I Love This Bar & Grill closed in Oxnard, California, less than a year after it opened.
• 2019: The Country Music Hall of Fame opened a KEITH WHITLEY exhibit.
• 2019: The movie Ugly Dolls debuted in theaters. BLAKE SHELTON’s Wallflowers & Weeds was on the soundtrack.
Drummer Cactus Moser of HIGHWAY 101 is 64.
SHANE MINOR is 53.
Bassist John Driskell Hopkins of ZAC BROWN BAND is 50.
BRAD MARTIN is 48.
ERIC CHURCH is 44.
TRISHA YEARWOOD has received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, weeks after recovering from the potentially deadly virus. Trisha turned to social media on Friday (April 30) to share a picture of herself receiving the vaccine, saying she was “grateful.”
… BRAD PAISLEY’s wife, actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley, was among those who reacted to Trisha’s news, writing, “Congratulations and well-done!”
THOMAS RHETT watched the video of MIRANDA LAMBERT breaking down on stage in Texas and understood why. He’s hungry for that feeling, too, and he’s traveled long distances for nourishment. Late last year, Thomas says he went on a couple of duck hunting trips but found himself searching for a guitar —any guitar — to play for friends. Then, in January, he found a guitar on a trip to Kansas and thought he’d sit down and play a song or two. Three hours later he was still playing. Thomas says standard concerts have set lengths, but when he returns to the stage it’s “gonna be heard for me to stick to that … there’s stuff I wanna sing.”
… And when he watched Miranda breaking down at her small Texas shows Thomas admits he “got emotional watching her be emotional.”
… Thomas’ Center Point Road Tour begins in August and continue through early October.
THOMAS RHETT says for the first two months of the pandemic he didn’t write any news songs — the longest he’s gone without songwriting. Instead, encouraged by his wife, Thomas leaned in to what the pandemic was forcing nearly everyone to do: slow down. He spent time with his family, and used all of that unexpected free time on some favorite activities: fishing, hunting, and hiking.
KACEY MUSGRAVES’ music career is going great, but the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter got to step outside of that and into another job that she calls a “lifelong dream” recently — by spending a day working at a snowcone stand. Kacey posted a series of pictures to Instagram early Saturday morning (May 1), showing herself dressed in a colorful outfit, a mask and gloves as she spent time serving free snowcones to Nashvillians from a food truck called Blue Monkey Gourmet Shaved Ice. • IMAGE
… Kacey shared an initial run of photos showing how the opportunity came about after she posted to Instagram, asking if any snowcone stands were hiring. Blue Monkey replied to her with a direct message asking if she wanted to work for a day giving out free shaved ice in Nashville. She followed up with another series of photos of herself playfully posing with some rainbow-colored shaved ice.
JUSTIN MOORE love to fish, and he cares about public fishing access and sustainably conserving fish populations for future generations. That’s why he’s reminding people to make sure they purchase their fishing license before hitting the water to cast some lines. In a public service video Justin asks viewers to visit GoOutdoorsTennessee.com to buy a Tennessee fishing license. • VIDEO
CHRIS LANE’s new song, Summer Job Money, one of the first scenes features a brief shot of a work truck door emblazoned with the logo Lane’s Lawn Service — an tribute to the singer/songwriter’s own years spent earning extra spending cash by working in his father’s landscaping business. • VIDEO
… The North Carolina native says, “I worked a landscaping job up until the very moment I signed my record deal, so I related to the song and knew I wanted to record it.”
MIRANDA LAMBERT shared on social media that her side project, PISTOL ANNIES, has something “up our sleeve.”
LUKE BRYAN is looking out for families in need this year, partnering with Cornerstone Building Brands to become their 2021 Home for Good ambassador, and support the great work of Habitat for Humanity. Luke will be the public face of Cornerstone’s Home for Good initiative. The program has donated $2 million since 2016 in exterior building products — things like windows, siding and accessories — helping to build or remodel over 550 Habitat for Humanity homes in more than 90 communities.
Country Quickies is included with your Country News subscription. The file is updated weekly and currently contains over 350 evergreen country news items!
| ALABAMA frontman RANDY OWEN admits when the group first started, he didn’t want to sing lead because of his shyness. One trick to keep his voice sounding so good: he doesn’t talk for 36 hours leading up to a performance. | EXPIRATION DATE |
| ALAN JACKSON and his wife Denise have sold their lavish Nashville-area estate for $19 million. The Jacksons listed the 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom, 22,012-square-foot mansion in the high-dollar Nashville suburb of Franklin in October of 2020, asking $23 million for the property. The sale went through on March 10 for $19 million. | 2021-04-30 |
| ALAN JACKSON is on the side of a building in his hometown of Newnan, Georgia. The mural is 20 by 40. | |
| ALAN JACKSON returns with his first album of all-new music in six years with his upcoming album, Where Have You Gone, on May 14. Alan wrote 15 of the album’s 21 songs, including the title track. What can fans expect? Alan says the album is “a little harder country than even I’ve done in the past.” | 2021-05-12 |
| ALAN JACKSON says the songs he writes are simply about things he’s lived or seen. As a new member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Alan says it was a friend who told him before he moved to Nashville in his 20s that he should start writing his own songs. | |
| BLAKE SHELTON and Gwen Stefani will be getting married one of these days and at last one question still remains: will Adam Levine sing at the wedding? Adam recently joked, “They can’t afford me!” But then, more seriously, Adam added, “Yeah…they haven’t asked me yet.” | 2021-04-30 |
| BLAKE SHELTON and Gwen Stefani’s love story dates back to their time together as coaches on NBC’s The Voice. The happy couple were in a relationship for five years before Blake finally popped the question in 2020. But long before they fell in love, Blake remembers that Gwen was simply the new coach on the set of The Voice in 2014. At the time, Blake was still married to Miranda Lambert. Gwen was also still married to Gavin Rossdale, and she’d recently given birth to their son, Apollo. Back then, Blake recalls, “the thing I remember saying about her when people would ask was, ‘Oh my God, that girl is unbelievable. She drives a minivan to work!I thought rock stars drove Rolls-Royces, and Gwen was driving a black minivan.” | 2021-10-31 |
| BLAKE SHELTON doesn’t load his calendar with long stretches on tour. That’s because he enjoys performing too much to risk getting burned out. | |
| BLAKE SHELTON hopes to start filming The Voice in August, but in a recent interview he sounded less than confident that it will happen as planned. Blake says the filming of blind auditions begins in two weeks and he knows producers “created a safe situation for us, but we will see what happens.” | |
| BLAKE SHELTON is all about Body Language this spring. That’s the name of the new album Blake’s releasing May 21. Created over the course of two years, Blake’s 12th studio project features a dozen songs, including his chart-topping duet with fiancée Gwen Stefani on Happy Anywhere and his current top-20 tune, Minimum Wage. Blake also teams up with former The Voice contestants The Swon Brothers, whom he mentored on his team during season four, on the title track. | 2021-05-10 |
| BLAKE SHELTON says he can be content and happy in Los Angeles so long as girlfriend GWEN STEFANI is there with him. But the minute she has to leave he feels miserable, almost to the point of feeling trapped. Blake says it’s nothing to do with the people, but rather city life in general since he’s too much of a country boy. Blake says it wouldn’t matter what city it was, he would feel the same way. | |
| BLAKE SHELTON says he’s been getting socially distanced music for a decade now. Blake says finding music “is no different during this pandemic, and the shutdown and quarantine phase… it’s no different than it’s been the last ten years, because I don’t live in Nashville, I live in Oklahoma, and then when I’m not there, I’m traveling, or I’m in LA filming The Voice. So, most of the music is either emailed to me, or sent to me on a disc, that I just listen to on my own time. So, that part of it hasn’t been much different.” | 2021-05-31 |
| BLAKE SHELTON says the only thing his girlfriend Gwen Stefani rarely does with him is hang out on his bass boat. She’s not into fishing and it has to be the perfect day to even get Gwen out on the water. | |
| BLAKE SHELTON snagged a monster paddlefish while fishing in his home state of Oklahoma recently, saying “I’ll bet some of y’all have never heard of a paddlefish. We got them here in my home state! Y’all come to Oklahoma where the outdoors are always open!” Paddlefish are prized for their roe (that’s caviar) which can set you back a pretty penny. | 2021-04-30 |
| BLAKE SHELTON would like to tell his younger self: that mullet wasn’t as cool as you thought. We’re approaching the 20th anniversary of Blake’s 2001 debut single, Austin, and his mullet. In an interview with People, Blake says he’s not necessarily proud of that mullet. When asked what he would tell his younger self, he said: “I would have told that kid, ‘Hey man, the mullet’s not as cool as you think it is… and I would have told myself to get more rest back then. When I started I was 24 and lived life to the max back then. It’s probably why I ran out of battery so soon.” | 2021-04-30 |
| BLAKE SHELTON, listen up: your fiancee would love to write more songs with you. In an interview (with The First One podcast) Gwen Stefani reveals that Blake “doesn’t really write anymore. … We’ve actually written three songs together — we wrote a Christmas song together, and then we wrote two other songs. But he just doesn’t like writing that much. It makes me so mad.” | 2021-05-31 |
| BLAKE SHELTON’s first job as a 15-year-old was roofing houses in his hometown of Ada, Oklahoma, with his stepfather as his boss. Blake said, “I did it for two summers. It made me want to be a country singer.” | |
| BRAD PAISLEY admits the one moment each night that gets to him is just before going on stage and worrying maybe the fans will be tired of him. Brad says after more than a decade of headlining, he’s nowhere tired of it and continues to reinvent ways to play his songs to make them sound new. | |
| BRAD PAISLEY and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary last month. Almost two decades into their marriage, the couple is still finding a lot to love about each other, and they shared some of the specifics in a new cover story for People. Brad tells Kimberly: “You keep our house afloat. Seeing you give birth to two kids and raise a third is amazing. And you try to do the right thing all the time.” … Kimberly replies to Brad, “You care about all creatures, great and small,” and shared a recent example: He ran out to check on a nest of goose eggs during a particularly powerful rainstorm. … Most of all, the couple says they’re proud of how much they enjoy spending time together, even after years of marriage. | 2021-04-30 |
| BRAD PAISLEY reveals the most bizarre place he’s ever performed was singing for toddlers at a library one day. Brad says, “You realize quickly there’s nothing in your arsenal that will work and I think I was booed off stage by five-year-olds.” | |
| BRAD PAISLEY will headline a free concert on Independence Day in downtown Nashville. If crowds return to record 2019 levels, well over 300,000 people will be on hand to see the fireworks and live music. After a year off because of the pandemic, the city is promising the largest fireworks show in Nashville history. … In 2019, BRETT ELDREDGE headlined the day’s performances. | 2021-07-02 |
| BRANDON LAY (Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers) and his wife, Nicole, are expecting a baby. | |
| BRETT ELDREDGE does meditation before taking the stage, using a special place on his bus. | |
| BRETT YOUNG and his wife Taylor are expecting their second child this summer. The new baby will join the couple’s one-year-old daughter, Presley Elizabeth, born in October 2019. Brett reveals that Taylor is experiencing morning sickness, which she didn’t while pregnant with Presley, and hopes it will pass after the first trimester. | 2021-05-31 |
| BRETT YOUNG and wife Taylor shared their California wedding with the public in November of 2018, but it turns out the couple was officially married three months earlier. In a lengthy post on Instagram (on September 9, 2019) Taylor said August 10, 2018 was “one of the happiest and most special days of my life” as that’s when she says she and Brett became legally married. She explains how they ventured to Rhinestone Wedding Chapel on Music Row in Nashville when he was home for one day while in the middle of touring. They didn’t tell anyone about the big news except for Taylor’s sister. | |
| BRETT YOUNG and wife Taylor will be having another girl. | 2021-04-30 |
| BROTHERS OSBORNE found themselves with unexpected downtime during the pandemic, and the sibling duo have found creative ways to keep busy while stuck at home. Early on during quarantine TJ Osborne spent some time perfecting his skills in the kitchen, learning to cook the perfect steak. Now, he says, he’s moved on to other — perhaps less sophisticated — pursuits: “I like to online game at night. It’s very helpful for my mental health.” TJ says he prefers multi-player games like Call of Duty, but he’s selective about who he teams up with, typically preferring to game with friends instead of strangers. … John Osborne has spent quarantine digging deeper into painting, a hobby he’s long enjoyed but hasn’t always had time to get into. | 2021-06-30 |
| BROTHERS OSBORNE will headline the We’re Not For Everyone Tour this summer. The duo will hit almost 50 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and Boston. TRAVIS DENNING and TENILLE TOWNES will serve as alternating opening acts. | 2021-05-10 |
| CARLY PEARCE has always had strong determination. In fact, in 2012 after being dropped from her first record deal, she got a tattoo on her left forearm that reads: “She believed she could, so she did.” The ink also includes a feather and a butterfly in honor of her late grandparents to whom her album is dedicated. Carly says she chose that spot for the tattoo since it’s the arm she plays guitar with and she can look down and see it to remind her she moved to Nashville for music and to never give up on that dream. | |
| CARLY PEARCE has been on a few dates since her divorce from MICHAEL RAY last September but says she won’t be as public with her relationships. | 2021-05-31 |