Born on this day!! Actor Rita Moreno is 89. Singer David Gates of Bread is 80. Actor Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”) is 80. Singer Brenda Lee is 76. Singer Paul Beasley of The Blind Boys of Alabama is 76. Actor Linda Day George (TV’s “Mission: Impossible”) is 76. Actor Teri Garr is 73. Actor Bess Armstrong is 67. Singer Jermaine Jackson is 66. Bassist Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens is 63. Bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is 62. Actor Ben Browder (“Stargate SG-1”) is 58. Singer-bassist Justin Currie of Del Amitri is 56. Bassist David Schools of Widespread Panic is 56. Actor Gary Dourdan (“C.S.I.”) is 54. Actor-comedian Mo’Nique is 53. Actor Max Martini (“The Unit”) is 51. Rapper-actor Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) is 47. Actor Rider Strong (“Boy Meets World”) is 41. Actor Xosha Roquemore (“The Mindy Project”) is 36. Actor Karla Souza (“How to Get Away with Murder”) is 34. Actor-singer Hailee Steinfeld is 23.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1844 – Nitrous oxide was used for the first time in dentistry.
1816 – Indiana became the 19th state.
1936 – King Edward VIII abdicated the throne of Britain for the woman he loved, Mrs. Wallis Simpson.
1941 – Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.
1946 – The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.
1994 – Russian troups invaded Chechnya in an unsuccessful attempt to restore Moscow’s power in the region.
1997 – Housing secretary Henry Cisneros was indicted for conspiracy, obstructing justice, and false statements to the FBI.
2008 – Bernard Madoff, an investment manager, was charged with defrauding clients of as much as $50 billion in what might be the largest swindle in Wall Street history.
Today Is: International Mountain Day, Kaleidoscope Day, Magnum P.I. Day, National App Day, National Salesperson Day, National Sobriety Day, Official Lost & Found Day, UNICEF Birthday
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – MacGyver / 9:00 – Magnum PI / 10:00 – Blue Bloods
NBC – 8:00 – The Weakest Link / 10:00 – Dateline NBC
ABC – 8:00 – Shark Tank / 9:00 – 2020
FOX – 8:00 – Friday Night Smackdown
CW – 8:00 – Christmas Caroler Challenge
TV Talk Shows
Seth Meyers: Ethan Hawke, Lewis Black, Carter McLean (R 11/11/20)
James Corden: Armie Hammer, Surfaces (R 10/8/20)
Lilly Singh: Meghan Trainor (R 10/2/19)
The View: Day of Hot Topics
The Talk: Candice Bergen, Morena Baccarin
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Kerry Washington
Ellen DeGeneres: Chris Harrison, Michelle Buteau
Wendy Williams: Roy Wood Jr.
The Real: Ludacris
Kelly Clarkson: Joe Manganiello, Deidre Hall
Tamron Hall: Sheryl Sandberg, Tom Bernthal
Drew Barrymore: Kristen Bell, Jenn Lyons, Amirah Kassem
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Will YOU get a shot when the COVID vaccine gets approved?? New poll shows that only about 50% of Americans will “definitely” take the jab!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Do you subscribe to HULU?? We’ve got bad news!! The KARDASHIANS are moving all of the “reality content” to the streamer, starting in 2021!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Shots fired?? KELLY CLARKSON claims that her estranged husband/manager DEFRAUDED HER out of million$!!!! This one will be UGLY!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: Airbnb is worth HOW MUCH??? The company went public with an IPO, and within hours the valuation reached $100 BILLION!!! That’s a rich app!!!!!
QUESTION: SURPRISED??? Taylor Swift releases her SECOND album of 2020 tonight at midnight, and SHE MAY BE MARRIED!! They’re not denying it!!!!!!!!
Ellen Positive For COVID-19
Ellen DeGeneres revealed she has tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. “Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19,” she wrote in a note on Twitter. “Fortunately, I’m feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines. I’ll see you all again after the holidays. Please stay healthy and safe. Love, Ellen.” People instantly took to the comments section to send well-wishes to the comedian. One person wrote, “Feel better, @TheEllenShow! Like Dory, just keep swimming!” while another echoed, “So sorry to hear this. Please take care of yourself. We need you in our lives. I hope your case is mild. Mine was brutal. Looking forward to your return, when you are ready.” A third user added, “2020 has been a bad year for all of us but a particularly hard one for you Ellen sheesh! Get better and I will say a prayer for you.”
********Of course, people immediately started saying, “SHE’S FAKING IT FOR SYMPATHY!!” Bad people!!!
******If Rudy Giuliani can get over it, so can she!!!
*******She probably won’t be going next door to visit Megan and Harry anytime soon!!
******Which one is the super-spreader? Her or Portia??
Kevin Hart Teams Up With Wesley Snipes
Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes will play brothers in a new Netflix series. Netflix confirmed Wednesday that they will both star in True Story, a limited series from Narcos and Narcos: Mexico executive producer Eric Newman. Newman will write and executive produce the eight-part series, which is produced by Hart’s HartBeat Production company. Hart will also serve as an executive producer. “Kevin Hart’s career is one defined by courageous creative risks and Wesley Snipes is a legendary talent — together they are truly a dream team,” Newman said in a statement. “I am absolutely thrilled to be working with these two.” Hart will play Kid, a world-famous comedian and fictionalized version of himself, with Snipes as Carlton, Kid’s wayward older brother. The series follows Kid after a lost evening with Carlton threatens to destroy everything he’s built.
********This is obviously based on someone’s true life story!! Is it Kevin???
*******They should have had Danny Devito play his brother!! It worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger!!
Jessica Simpson Cashing In On Her 20’s
Jessica Simpson announced that she has signed a multi-media deal with Amazon Studios to produce two series and two narrated essays. The first series will be a scripted “fictionalized coming of age series” about the fashion designer’s mid-20s. The second will be an “intimate unscripted docuseries” inspired by her tell-all memoir “Open Book.” It will also have a musical component. On Twitter she posted, “I am humbled and honored to partner with @amazonstudios to bring my story and heart to life on the screen and executive produce a fictionalized coming of age series about my mid-twenties, a new intimate unscripted docuseries with music as a key component and 2 essays — where I will share my soul and perspective while holding your heart close to mine. I am a huge TV fan and many of my favorite shows live on Amazon, so the gift of this unprecedented collaboration is the brightest visible dream for me,” Simpson confirmed on social media. The original essays will be published via Amazon Original Stories in 2021. Simpson will narrate each. One will be about motherhood and the other on gratitude.
********She should have called the book “Open Blouse!!!”
******These shows are for everyone who’s getting nostalgic for 2006!!!!
*****Her statements achieve the rare distinction of being simultaneously pretentious and repulsive!!!
Nicolas Cage Will Give You The History Of Swear Words!
Netflix announced that it will be premiering a six-episode “History of Swear Words” comedy series starring Nicolas Cage on Jan. 5. “Oh my friends, we are so close now,” Cage says in a short trailer for the show, in which he passionately paints a suggestive-looking orchid as classical music plays. “Feast your eyes upon the very house of life and death, the temple of sensuality.” Each 20-minute episode will offer an “education in expletives: the history lesson you didn’t know you needed,” a press release states. This will be no “Schoolhouse Rock”-equivalent appropriate for children, but a “loud and proudly profane series that explores the origins, pop culture-usage, science and cultural impact of curse words.” There will be interviews with etymology experts, historians and entertainers to paint a full picture for viewers of the origins behind words including damn, f – – k, s – – t, bitch, d – – k and p – – – y. The slate of guest stars includes Nick Offerman, Sarah Silverman and Patti Harrison in the celebrity category and cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen, linguist Anne Charity Hudley and lexicographer Kory Stamper in the expert field.
******A bunch of pricks and pussies!!
******If you have ANY ideas for a TV series, now is the time to pitch.. because they’ve obviously run out of ideas!!
Ellen Show Struggles To Recover
It’s been just over two months since Ellen DeGeneres returned to her daytime talk show following several accusations of workplace misconduct — including sexual harassment. According to a new report, it appears the show still hasn’t recovered from the scandal. Staffers and sources “with knowledge of the situation” recently dished to BuzzFeed News about the true state of the midday staple, claiming that the show has lost advertisers, is now struggling to book A-list guests and has seen a significant dip in ratings. Two employees claim that the production of digital content has taken a nosedive due to a lack of advertiser funds, resulting in the series re-airing old bits. The loss of sponsors can be blamed on both the COVID-19 pandemic and months of bad publicity. “We’re trying to be a content house, but we have no content,” one employee said. They also detailed their newfound struggle in booking talent. “For the first time, everyone was starting to ask us, ‘If you have an idea, tell us because we will listen. If you have an idea for a celeb, even if they’re not A-list or famous, we’ll take anyone who will bring us numbers and eyeballs,’” the staffer said. “That’s when they started to be real with us and essentially said, ‘Give us anything because we need help.’ Our old strategy doesn’t work anymore.” Entertainment publicists also confessed — anonymously — that they “aren’t booking as many of their clients on the daytime talk show” as they have in the past. “They also said some of their clients have specifically said they don’t want to appear on the show, even over videoconference. They also said they’re wary of booking their clients for the current season of ‘Ellen’ because they don’t want them to be a part of ‘her comeback tour,’” wrote reporter Krystie Lee Yandoli.
*********And now she has COVID?? Good timing!!
*****Some people are speculating that the COVID story is a way for her to bow out gracefully!!
******People in Hollywood are usually loyal through thick and thin!! Oh, wait… no!! They’re not!!
Latest Movie Role Hospitalizes George Clooney
George Clooney was hospitalized with pancreatitis after dropping nearly 28 pounds for his forthcoming film, “The Midnight Sky,” according to the UK’s Mirror. He lost the weight for his role in the film as an astronomer who survives an apocalyptic event, but four days before he was due to report to set, he was rushed to the hospital with stomach pains, eventually diagnosed as pancreatitis, and spent weeks recovering. He told the tabloid, “I think I was trying too hard to lose the weight quickly and probably wasn’t taking care of myself.” Clooney, who also directs the film, added, “It took a few weeks to get better and as a director, it’s not so easy because you need energy. We were out on this glacier in Finland, which made it a lot harder work. But it certainly helped with the character.”
******Come on!! We know the REAL story!! It’s a Flowbee injury!! He sucked his brain out, didn’t he??
*******His movie is about an apocalypse!! We don’t need that!! We’ve got one in real life!!
*******We’re in the middle of a pandemic!! Is a glacier in Finland a good place to be??
Dionne Warwick Trashed Wendy Williams
Dionne Warwick slammed Wendy Williams for recently discussing the singer’s past marijuana charges as well as her blossoming Twitter activity. “A friend alerted me that Wendy Williams was spending a lot of not nice time speaking on me,” Warwick tweeted on Wednesday. “I tuned in to her show to catch the last few minutes of her speaking about me and as in the past, she seems not to be able to speak without maliciously made comments.” She went on to say that she wished Williams would not talk about her in a negative way on her show again. “My hope is my name will refrain from being spoken or thought of by her as this conversation was held a few years ago letting her know there was, nor would be any need, for her to say the name Dionne Warwick for any reason,” she said. “I don’t believe one has to be mean to get noticed.” She added, “There’s an old saying you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! Try it Wendy you might like it,” along with a clown and smiley emoji.
*******Actually, Dionne Warwick is not one of the nicest people!! (true)
******We want to see these two go at it!! THAT’S big ratings!!!
Johnny Depp Is Damaged Goods
Johnny Depp is the epitome of a spoiled movie star, claims a producer who recently worked with him. “He’s just never been told no for the past 35 years,” the unnamed producer told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s typical in Hollywood. But I’ve never seen it to this extent.” His career imploded last month when he lost his sensational libel case against a British newspaper — with a judge concluding that Depp regularly beat ex-wife Amber Heard. “You simply can’t work with him now,” a studio head said. “He’s radioactive.” Depp’s behavior has been erratic. On November 21, he was set to accept a career honor via video from a Polish film festival. “Minamata,” an independent low-budget film starring Depp was supposed to close the festival but Depp failed to appear. Instead, he reportedly sent a “bizarre” picture of himself, “open-shirted and with platinum blond hair peeking out from under a pair of colorful scarves. Inexplicably, he appeared to be standing behind bars in a Caribbean prison.” The actor seems to have been careening dangerously for the last couple of years.
********It all started when he married Amber Heard!! Well, it didn’t start, but she finished him off!!
****Even Keith Richards called him up and said, “Dude!! Pace yourself!!”
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Lamar Odom & Sabrina Parr Take Another Shot At Love-(National Enquirer)
Days after announcing their split, Lamar Odom and Sabrina Parr took a second chance on romance! The former NBA player, 41, was once again courting the personal trainer, 33, as they celebrated the one-year anniversary of him popping the question by sharing a sweet snapshot on Instagram. But a post announcing their wedding in November 2021 has since been deleted!
Ringo’s Sick Past Exposed!-(Globe)
Ringo Starr’s childhood bout with appendicitis at age six caused him to fall into a coma and spend a year in the hospital to recover, recalls the former Beatle. According to writer Bob Spitz’s “The Beatles: A Biography,” that wasn’t Ringo’s only health scare. The book reveals the 80-year-old musician says he contracted tuberculosis five years later and spent two years in a sanitarium, where he discovered drums as part of the hospital band. “That’s where I really started playing,” Ringo admits.
Michael & Catherine: Two Decades of Love-(Us Weekly)
On Nov. 18, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones celebrated their milestone 20th anniversary. According to the Oscar winner and his actress wife, 51, their secret is simple: “Mutual respect,” Douglas, 76, has said. “I’ve always tried to remember how fortunate I am and what an extraordinary lady she is.”
Brad: Goodbye Hollywood!-(Star)
He’s had it! A-lister Brad Pitt wants to take some time away to explore his other talents-and get to know his kids better. According to an insider, the 56-year-old is planning to take an extended break from Hollywood so he can travel, focus on art and charity work, and most importantly, spend some quality time with his children (he shares Maddox, 19, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie). “Brad knows Hollywood will always be there for him,” says the insider. “But he wants to chill and see the world with a new lens. He kids will be a big part of it-and he can’t wait.”
Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev: Couples Counseling-(Life & Style)
Less than four months after the arrival of son Matteo, Artem, 38, began shooting Dancing With the Stars. His grueling schedule meant Nikki, 37, was home alone with their newborn more often than not, and she developed postpartum depression. “I was starting to feel invisible,” says the Total Bellas star. Now they’ve made the joint decision to seek counseling. “It’s with our life coach,” Nikki reveals. “We finally both just said, like, ‘We need to bring someone in to help us.’”
Ashley Benson & G-Eazy: Heating Up-(People)
All’s well between the Pretty Little Liars actress and the rapper, both 31, who were first spotted kissing in May. “She’s a special one,” he says.
Last Laughs-(In Touch)
“The average person spends four hours a day on their phone. That works out to 52 days a year. That means every year we spend more than 10 months not on our phones! We’re doing great, guys!”-Joe List.
“A town in Japan has found a rather unusual way to scare away bears. They’re using a motion-sensor device they’re calling a monster wolf robot. The way it works: The bear takes one look at the monster robot and just dies laughing.”-James Corden.
“I really, really hope Harry isn’t watching The Crown because if that was my mom, I’d go back to Buckingham Palace and burn it to the ground.”-Saeed Jones.
STUPID NEWS
Deer Caught In Lights
Wildlife officials in Colorado came to the assistance of a deer found with its antlers and face tangled in a large string of holiday lights. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region said an officer was dispatched Tuesday in Colorado Springs to assist a buck spotted with its head covered in holiday lights. Wildlife officials said the deer apparently had thrashed in an attempt to get the lights out of its antlers and ended up getting the lights tangled around its neck and mouth. “This buck’s vision was obscured, making it vulnerable around cars. With wires wrapped in its mouth, it likely couldn’t eat or drink. It might have starved. Had it jumped a fence, the cords might have gotten caught and hung the animal,” the agency said. The lights were removed and the deer was released. See the photo HERE.
*******They should have plugged him in, so he could at least enjoy the lights!!
******At least he wasn’t a “deer caught in the headlights!!” He was caught in the Christmas lights!!
Stuffed Rabbit Stolen and Returned
Someone returned a stuffed hare on Tuesday that had been stolen from an Indiana restaurant last week. Surveillance video showed an unidentified customer at the 1933 Lounge in Fishers picking up the taxidermied hare called “Theodore A. Hare” on Friday night, according to the report. The animal, dressed in a fancy hat and carrying an old shotgun, serves as the restaurant’s mascot. The restaurant posted about the stolen hare on social media, and it offered a $500 gift card for its return. Bryn Jones, vice president of marketing and retail for the restaurant’s owner, Huse Culinary, told the Indianapolis Star that replacing the hare would have cost about $1,000. “No questions asked and no hard feelings,” the restaurant tweeted. “Our only hope is he is returned unharmed.” The hare turned up back at the restaurant on Tuesday night, when someone dropped him off in a trash bag with a note apologizing. “Sorry! This was a drunken mistake,” the note read. “He was well taken care of!”
********It was a “hare-raising” experience!!
GOOD TOPIC: What did you do when you were drunk… and lived to regret??
Someone Returned $250,000 Worth Of Stuff!!
A Florida couple said they are grateful to a “Christmas angel” who found their bag containing $250,000 worth of jewelry and tracked them down to return it. Joe Fitzgerald of Pinellas County said he and his wife, Elif, attended the annual Denim and Diamonds charity event for Hands Across the Bay on Saturday, and they were among the sponsors of the event so they had a lot to pack up at the end of the night. Fitzgerald said his trunk was full when they left the event, but the couple did not realize that the rear hatch of their vehicle came open during transit and the bag containing $250,000 worth of jewelry fell out onto the road. The couple said they only discovered the trunk was open when Elif Fitzgerald checked her phone and discovered she had dozens of missed calls telling her that a bag belonging to her had been found in the road. The couple learned the bag had been found by a kind stranger. “He’s our Christmas angel,” Joe Fitzgerald told WFTS-TV. “He not only found it. He also called 911 and made sure we got our jewelry back.”
********Now, THAT’S a crazy person!! They should have kept it!! (kidding)
******The person who returned is ruining Florida’s reputation!!
******This would have been a better story if the person who found it put on all the jewelry and started twerking at the McDonald’s drive-through!!
Raccoon Rescued From Side Of Building
Police were called to a building in New York to rescue a raccoon that was stranded on a ledge about 20 feet over the ground. A video of the rescue in Tribeca, Manhattan, shows police holding a tarp on the ground while a person climbing the building nudges the raccoon with a plastic bin. The raccoon falls from its perch, eliciting screams from onlookers, and lands on the tarp being held below. The animal, which did not appear to be injured, was able to run away from the scene after returning to the ground. Witnesses said the raccoon was on the ledge for about 30 minutes before police arrived. See the video HERE.
*******How the heck did it get up there?? That’s the question!!
*******This is what happens when raccoons start hanging out with cats!!
*****When he landed, he said, “Wheee! Let’s do it again!!”
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: SPACE X’S HUGE STARSHIP CRASHES AFTER TEST!
A LIST FOR FRIDAY
The Grocery Trends To Look Forward To In 2021
Huffington Post
Flavorful Spices And Condiments
Although many turned to their favorite comfort foods this year, Instacart’s data suggests people may be trying to spice things up more in 2021. The report identified five spices and condiments that got a big boost in year-over-year sales: piri piri sauce (up 725%), Lao Gan Ma (up 227%), za’atar (up 39%), turmeric (up 18%) and gojuchang (up 17%).
“2021 is shaping up to be a flavorful year. Consumers are looking for quick and easy ways to spice up the meals they’ve been making at home, and we’re seeing a lot of interest in handcrafted shelf-stable sauces and spice blends on the Instacart marketplace,“ said Instacart trends expert and senior product manager Laurentia Romaniuk.
Keto, Keto, Keto
According to Instacart’s survey, 28% of those who tried a diet in 2020 opted for the high-fat, low-carb keto diet. Sales trends were consistent with the survey, as products with “keto” in the name saw a 72% increase in the Instacart marketplace.
The cities that had the most keto product orders this year were Austin, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Denver, Chicago and Tampa. Additionally, Instacart found that keto treats in particular were in demand for adherents to the diet. The platform identified the 10 most popular keto products in the marketplace:
- KetoPint Salt and Caramel Keto Bar
- Think! Keto Protein Bar ― Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie flavored
- Birch Benders Keto Pancake and Waffle Mix
- Sundae Shoppe Keto Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream
- Sundae Shoppe Keto Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Lenny and Larry’s Keto Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Sundae Shoppe Keto Mint Chip Ice Cream
- Epic Chicken Sriracha Protein Bar
- Ratio Keto Friendly Strawberry Dairy Snack
- Ratio Keto Friendly Vanilla Dairy Snack
Less Potent Alcohol
“Homemade craft cocktails have been popular this year with the work-from-home crowd,” Romaniuk said. “We’ve seen sales for trendy alcohol-free spirits boom, increasing by 195% year-over-year. Perhaps consumers are looking to turn over a new leaf in 2021 with tasty, guilt-free libations.”
In addition to booze-free spirits, consumers have also indicated rising interest in low-calorie alcohol beverages and alcoholic versions of healthy drinks. Hard kombucha rose 320% in Instacart searches, with the most purchases coming from Seattle, San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
While White Claw continues to dominate, searches for brands across the hard seltzer category rose 519% compared to 2019, and sales spiked in Orlando, Chicago, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, D.C.
Brand Mindfulness
The year 2020 brought a racial reckoning that raised awareness for many brands owned by people of color. The economic crisis also highlighted the importance of supporting small, locally owned brands.
About 23% of the Instacart survey respondents have researched brands that are locally run or owned in 2020, and 14% said they’ve researched brands run or owned by women and by BIPOC. The grocery platform predicts consumers will continue to be selective about the stores and brands they support in 2021.
Instacart also put together a list of five women and BIPOC-owned brands to look out for in 2021, based on high-performers that have seen search traffic increases this year:
- Partake Foods ― Allergen-free cookies
- Pipcorn ― Heirloom corn snacks
- Pitmaster LT’s ― Kansas City-style BBQ products
- Glory Foods ― Seasoned vegetables
- Uncle Nearest ― Premium whiskey
Weekday Warriors
With the work-from-home flexibility of 2020, Instacart unsurprisingly saw changes to the grocery shopping schedules people follow. The number of orders placed between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the work week rose by 32%.
Twenty-two percent of survey respondents said they shifted from weekend to weekday grocery shopping runs this year, and the number of Instacart orders placed on weekdays increased by 8%. The report predicts that this evolution from the “Sunday Shop” to the “Monday Mission” or the “Tuesday Trip” may continue into the following year.
The preceding material was compiled and edited by Brandon Castillo. The Editor-In-Chief is Gary Bryan. The Radio Genius Show Prep Service is licensed for use on-air only by subscribing radio stations. Other means of redistribution is forbidden.
© 2020 – Radio Genius Show Prep