Born on this day!! Actor Margaret O’Brien (“Meet Me In St. Louis”) is 83. Actor Andrea Martin is 74. Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 64. Guitarist Adam Jones of Tool is 56. Actor James Nesbitt (“Waking Ned Devine”) is 56. Actor Chad Lowe is 53. Actor Regina King is 50. Actor Dorian Missick (“For Life”) is 45. Actor Eddie Cahill (“Conviction,” ″CSI: New York”) is 43. Rapper Pitbull is 40. Actor Victor Rasuk (“Fifty Shades of Grey”) is 36. Actor Jessy Schram (“Nashville,” ″Once Upon A Time”) is 35. Electronic dance musician Skrillex is 33. Actor Dove Cameron (“Liv and Maddie,” ″The Descendants”) is 25.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1559 – Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
1759 – The British Museum opened.
1777 – The Republic of New Connecticut declared its independence. Six months later it was renamed Vermont.
1870 – The donkey was first used as symbol of the Democratic Party in Harper’s Weekly.
1943 – The world’s largest office building, the Pentagon, was completed.1967
The first Super Bowl was played: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10.
1973 – President Nixon orders halt to offensive operations in North Vietnam.
1992 – The European Community recognized Croatia and Slovenia as separate states, effectively ending the Yugoslav federation, founded in 1918.
2009 – After allegedly striking a flock of geese, US Airways Flight 1549, en route from La Guardia Airport, New York City, to Charlotte, N.C., is forced to land in the Hudson River. All 150 passengers and 5 crew members survived. The pilot, Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, was hailed as the “Hero of the Hudson” for his quick thinking and deft landing of the plane.
Today Is: Alpha Kappa Alpha Day, Bean Day, Humanitarian Day, International Fetish Day, National Bagel Day, National Booch Day, National Hat Day, Thank Your Mentor Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – MacGyver / 9:00 – Magnum PI / 10:00 – Blue Bloods
NBC – 8:00 – Figure Skating Championships
ABC – 8:00 – Shark Tank / 9:00 – 2020
FOX – 8:00 – Friday Night Smackdown
CW – 8:00 – Whose Line Is It / 8:30 – Whose Line Is It / 9:00 – Penn and Teller Fool Us
TV Talk Shows
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Angela Bassett, Isaac Boots
The Real: Erica Mena
Kelly Clarkson: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Tamron Hall: Regina King, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Maureen McCormick, Dan Vickery, Vanna White
Drew Barrymore: Ralph Macchio, Jenna Ortega
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: How big is TOO BIG??? A handful of big tech companies, fueled by leftist employees and Wall Street, could STRANGLE our free speech!!!!
QUESTION: Was she his BETTER HALF??? If she was, she must have been really, really good! Joanne Rogers, Mr. Rogers’ widow, has passed away at age 92!!!!
QUESTION: Want/Need some tips on how to get more and better SLEEP?? These women share their methods.. from weighted blankets to “grounding!!” Zzzzz
QUESTION: Wanna FEEL GOOD on a Friday?? Then enjoy this video of a toddler laughing uncontrollably as he plays with the family dog!! You’re welcome!!!
QUESTION: Need something ELSE to worry about?? New study says facial recognition software can tell your POLITICAL AFFILIATION!!! “MAGA face??”
Siegfried Dies
Siegfried & Roy magician Siegfried Fischbacher has died. His rep confirmed that he died Wednesday at his home in Las Vegas following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 81. He was an illusionist and entertainer who performed with Roy Horn as Siegfried & Roy. The duo’s Las Vegas act featured glittering costumes and elaborate illusions involving big cats and other animals. Horn died at age 75 in May after experiencing complications from COVID-19. Siegfried and Roy first met as teens and launched their Siegfried & Roy show in 1967. The duo began their residency at the Mirage in Las Vegas in 1989 and performed together until 2003, when a white tiger critically injured Horn on stage. MGM Resorts, which owns the Mirage, paid tribute to Fischbacher in a tweet Thursday. “The passing of Siegfried Fischbacher marks the end of an era. Siegfried & Roy had a vision for the kind of entertainment spectacular the world at large had never before seen. We are grateful for all they meant to MGM Resorts, Las Vegas and to the world of entertainment,” the post reads.
*****Now he’s together with Roy again… in Tiger Heaven!!
*****Carole Baskin called the family and asked if she could grind him up and feed him to her tigers. (too soon?)
*****If there were any justice, Siegfried would still be alive, and Joe Exotic would be gone!!
More Jeopardy Guest Hosts Announced
Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik, Aaron Rodgers and Bill Whitaker have been tapped to guest host future episodes of Jeopardy! following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek. The new guest hosts will appear after former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings finishes his guest hosting run, followed by executive producer Mike Richards, who will be helming the game show for two weeks. Each guest host appearance will include a donation being made to a charity of their choice. The amount donated will equal the cumulative winnings of the contestants that compete during the weeks they serve as guest host. TV journalist Couric will become the first-ever female host of Jeopardy!. Whitaker, also a journalist, appears on 60 Minutes. Bialik, an actress who appeared on The Big Bang Theory and now stars in Call Me Kat, expressed her excitement for guest hosting on Twitter. “I’ll take #DreamComeTrue for $500 please. From being an answer on the show… to guest hosting… this is literally a dream come true for me. I’ve been such a fan of @Jeopardy and Alex Trebek since I can remember. It will be an honor to guest host & celebrate his great legacy,” Bialik said.
*******The producers are obviously just going through the phone book!!
*****They asked Jim Parsons, but he said: “I’m not REALLY that smart!!”
Jeff Bridges Gives Cancer Update
Jeff Bridges shared a positive health update with his fans as he continues to battle lymphoma. He has been updating fans via his personal website to keep them informed on the status of his health. He recently revealed that just days into the new year, on Jan. 6, he underwent a CAT scan to see if treatment has been working to shrink his tumor. “Turns out it’s working beautifully,” Bridges writes. “The thing has drastically shrunk.” He revealed his cancer diagnosis in October but made the announcement with optimism. “Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good,” he explained at the time. “I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.”
*******We think he’s gonna make it!!
Armie Hammer Leaves J-Lo Movie
Armie Hammer’s role in an upcoming movie will be recast as he faces scandal. He made headlines recently after messages allegedly written by Hammer — they have not been verified — were leaked featuring graphic sexual fantasies. He was set to star alongside Jennifer Lopez in “Shotgun Wedding,” a Lionsgate film following a couple whose destination wedding attendees are taken hostage. “Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision,” a spokesperson for the production said in a statement. Hammer also offered a statement to Variety. “I’m not responding to these bulls–t claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic,” he said. “Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.”
********Some of these text messages make him sound like… a cannibal!! (true)
****He also allegedly fantasizes about dominating women and breaking their bones!!
******Obviously, someone hacked his account!!
UPDATE: The scandal has affected his home’s price!! He listed it for $5.8 million.. now he dropped it to $4.9! That’s an $800,000 drop!! (He wasn’t getting any “bites!!!”)
UPDATE: His last girlfriend said he wanted to “barbecue and eat” her!! Get the story HERE!!
ARod Uses JLo’s Stuff
Alex Rodriguez is apparently such a huge fan of fiancée Jennifer Lopez’s new beauty line that the couple fights over the products at home. “[Alex] tries everything. We did the mask together on the first night, and I filmed myself and it was just life-changing. I was like, ‘My God, I feel like I have a baby face!’” She told Elle for the magazine’s February cover story. “He loves it, and now we’re always fighting for the mask,” she continued. “[These products] are for anybody who has skin, which is everyone.” J.Lo Beauty’s “That Limitless Glow” sheet mask ($48 for three) is infused with the brand’s “That J.Lo Glow” serum ($79) — the line’s hero product, which Lopez said she uses “every day, twice a day” and took plenty of trial and error to perfect. “I sent it back, like, 26 times over two years,” she explained. “They were ready to strangle me.” It isn’t just Rodriguez trying to loot Lopez’s beauty counter; she also has to warn her 12-year-old twins, Max and Emme, away from her expensive products.
********She got a little concerned when A-Rod asked if he was supposed to drink it!!
******Here’s a tip: Use her products every day for three months… and you still won’t look like her!!
******A-Rod was complaining, “You need a new butt!! This one’s got a crack in it!!” (not the brightest guy)
Lisa Kudrow Filmed Friends Reunion Scenes Already
Production on HBO Max’s Friends reunion is finally underway. On a new episode of Rob Lowe’s podcast, Literally! With Rob Lowe, star Lisa Kudrow revealed that she and the gang have already filmed select scenes for the Friends reunion, which has been pushed repeatedly due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to Kudrow, the rest of the special will film in “early spring” and hopefully hit the platform later this year. Lowe has been hyping up his interview with Kudrow for days — he even plugged it Thursday morning on The View, telling the co-hosts that he “got her to tell [him] about the Friends reunion, some of which has already been shot” — and it certainly didn’t disappoint. “There’s different facets to it, and we already shot packages of things,” said Kudrow. “I pre-shot something already so we’re definitely doing it, because I already shot a little something.”
******It’s called “Old Friends!!!”
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Ariana Grands Playing House with Realtor Dalton Gomez-(National Enquirer)
“Thank U Next” songbird Ariana Grande has found her “next”-she’s engaged to real estate agent Dalton Gomez. The 27-year-old singer shared a close-up shot of her pearl and diamond engagement ring from Dalton, 25. The two began dating last January.
Stones’ Jumping Jack News Flash-(Globe)
Mick Jagger’s twinkle toes girlfriend, 33-year-old retired ballet dancer Melanie Hamrick, can twirl up a storm in her new $1.9 million Florida mansion-thanks to the 77-year-old Rolling Stones frontman, dad to their four-year-old son, Deveraux……Meanwhile, Sir Mick’s bandmate Keith Richards ain’t bugged about a rather unusual 77th birthday gift! The Children’s Museum in West Hartford, Conn., named a Madagascar hissing cockroach in the rocker’s honor. “It is said the only two things to survive a nuclear war would be cockroaches and Keith Richards,” kids the kid-friendly attraction. “Chances are the real Keith will outlive the newly named, oval-shaped invertebrate whose life span is two to five years.” So, time is on his side!
Keeping Up-(Us Weekly)
That was fast! Two months after ending her seven-year engagement to Jason Sudelkis, Olivia Wilde has moved on with Harry Styles, who is starring in her upcoming flick, Don’t Worry Darling. “They had chemistry almost instantaneously on set,” a source says of the pair, who’ve been secretly dating for weeks. “It was only a matter of time before they got together.”
Madonna Wannabes!-(Star)
Material girls! It’s the role of a lifetime and actresses are lining up to play Madonna in the biopic the 62-year-old is writing with Diablo Cody. Sources say the current frontrunners are British-born Florence Pugh, 24, an Oscar nominee for Little Women, and 26-year-old Julia Garner, whose turn in Ozark earned her an Emmy. “The bosses at CAA, the agency helping put the movie together, want Florence and promised to take her to the next level,” reveals an insider. “On the other hand, fans and the press want Julia because she’s such a dead-ringer for early-career Madonna.” With her history of movie flops (Shanghai Surprise, anyone?), the stakes are high for Madge, notes the insider, “It’s her story and she’s directing.”
This Is 42!-(Life & Style)
St. Bart’s, Dec. 28
Sliding into the new year like…..John Legend celebrated his birthday with family aboard a private yacht. Aside from putting the craft’s waterslide to good use, the singer rode a personal watercraft-two activities he prepared for back in 2019 by taking swimming lessons. “I can’t really swim,” he admitted at the time. “My dad learned in his 60s, so…..I’m ahead of schedule.”
Zoe Kravitz: Divorcing After 1 Year-(People)
Zoe Kravitz had a wedding to remember-tying the knot at the Paris mansion of her dad, Lenny Kravitz, in June 2019-but apparently not a marriage built to last. According to court records, the Big Little Lies actress filed for divorce from husband Karl Glusman in New York City on Dec. 23. (A source denied rumors she’s dating Channing Tatum, maintaining that they’re simply working together.) Kravitz and actor Glusman, both 32, started dating in 2016 and wed in front of A-list friends and family, including her mom, Lisa Bonet, and stepdad Jason Momoa. All seemed well last summer, when he posted on their anniversary, “Not the year we expected, but I feel like if we can make it through this, we can take on anything.” But that was not to be.
Last Laughs-(In Touch)
“Kanye earned $170 million in 2020. More than half of his money came from his wife. Every night, Kim pays him $2 million to stop yelling and go to bed.”-Jimmy Fallon.
“According to a new study, your dog doesn’t really know what you’re talking about. You can see all the details in the prestigious New England Journal of That’s What We Assumed.”-Stephen Colbert.
“A documentary filmmaker’s iPhone only had one crack after falling 1,000 feet. Meanwhile, I dropped mine in the parking lot and it looks like a monster truck drove over it.”-Jimmy Fallon.
STUPID NEWS
Cow Escapes The Meat Grinder!
A young cow that was able to escape from a slaughterhouse is being allowed to live on an animal farm located near Salzburg, Austria. The cow, named Lieni, was spotted by a woman as it was escaping the slaughterhouse. Animal charity Gut Aiderbichl located Lieni and rescued her after receiving a phone call from the witness. Gut Aiderbichl then paid the original owner of the cow for any lost wages and took Lieni to its animal farm. The California Highway Patrol recently responded to a stretch of highway that was occupied by a group of loose cows. Traffic was stopped in both directions as the cows were rounded up.
********”And that’s all the Moos News for today!!!!
Giant Python Caught On Florida Driveway
A Florida family called state wildlife authorities for help when they found a giant Burmese python sunning itself in their driveway. Alicia Perez Carillo said her family initially tried calling the city for help when they spotted the large snake at their Coral Gables home. Carillo said the city was unable to assist, and her family then couldn’t find any private snake removal specialists willing or able to come to their home. The family eventually connected with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which sent a trapper to the scene. Carillo said the trapper arrived within 20 minutes of being summoned. Burmese pythons are considered an invasive species in Florida, where they have established a population in the wild. See the video HERE.
*****The snake was resting before he went inside to look for a toilet!!
*****There are so many pythons in Florida.. let’s just say “Don’t go hiking in the swamp!!”
TOPIC: Wildlife you’ve run into!!!!
Wienermobile Drivers Wanted
Oscar Mayer is looking to hire a new crew of “hotdoggers” to drive the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. They are looking for recent college graduates to take on the one-year paid job crisscrossing the country in the iconic 27-foot-long hot dog-shaped vehicle. The gig will last from June 2021 through June 2022 following a two-week training session. Oscar Mayer’s hotdoggers will represent the company at various events like media appearances, charity functions and other celebrations. This will be Oscar Mayer’s 34th class of hotdoggers. They will stop at more than 200 events during the year, appearing in local news and creating social media content for Oscar Mayer. It’s not unusual to make the news while traveling in the Wienermobile. Last year, the crew made headlines after getting pulled over in Wisconsin for breaking the state’s Move Over Law. The company has put up a job posting online for anyone interested in applying. The deadline is Jan. 31st.
********If you go to their website, male applicants click on the hotdog, females on the buns!!
*****So many applicants!! You never sausage a line-up!!
******Oscar Meyer should sponsor the Oscars!!! There are so many famous wieners there!!!
Escaped Ostrich Caught
Police in Missouri said officers responded to an unusual situation when an ostrich escaped from its owner’s home and went for a walk. The St. Charles County Police Department said officers from D Platoon responded when an ostrich was spotted wandering loose and walking through traffic. The officers wrangled the flightless bird, named Clyde, and return him to his owners. Police did not reveal how Clyde managed to escape or how long he was on the loose. See the pic HERE.
*******He was just winging it!!!
*****Someone must have “egged him on!!!”
******We’re glad someone called the cops, instead of sticking their head in the sand!!!
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: COCKATIEL DOES THE APPLE RINGTONE.
VIDEO: MIXING DEF LEPPARD’S PHOTOGRAPH ON AN ANALOG CONSOLE.
VIDEO: LETTING THE CAT IN ON A SNOWY DAY!
A LIST FOR FRIDAY
8 COVID-19 Vaccine Myths People Need To Stop Believing
Huffington Post
Myth #1: COVID-19 vaccines were ‘rushed,’ so they could still be unsafe.
The speed of the vaccines’ creation was pretty unprecedented, but that does not mean researchers skipped important steps. “These vaccines were not ‘rushed’ through development,” said Linda Yancey, an infectious disease expert at Memorial Hermann Health System in Texas.
Instead, drug manufacturers and the government simply removed many of the bureaucratic inefficiencies that typically slow the process, she explained.
Also, drug manufacturers were able to basically drop everything else they were working on and put all of their scientists on this one task around the clock, Yancey added.
That said, “there are parts of vaccine development that you cannot rush. You cannot rush the safety trials, and that was why we waited, then they published those results in the summer,” Yancey said of those phase 1 and phase 2 trials.
“Then you cannot rush the efficacy trials, so that was what we were waiting on during the fall,” Yancey said, referring to the larger scale phase 3 trials. “And those went really, really well.”
Also, federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are continuing to monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety in real time as the vaccines are distributed ― not because they are worried that they haven’t been sufficiently studied, but as a (standard!) added layer of protection.
Myth #2: You can get COVID-19 from the vaccine.
Neither of the vaccines that have been approved for use in the U.S. contain the live virus that causes COVID-19.
Which means it is simply not possible to get sick with COVID-19 as a result.
This is a persistent misconception that also follows other vaccines, like the flu shot. Many people feel unwell after getting vaccinated for the flu and believe they have the virus itself. But the flu vaccine is actually made from inactivated or “dead” viruses.
Likewise, it’s common to develop symptoms after getting vaccinated against COVID-19 that may seem similar to those infected individuals get, but they are not the same thing.
“You’re going to have a nice brisk immune response,” Yancey said. “So yes, your arm is going to hurt. Yes, you’re probably going to run some fevers and feel achey for a few days. That is a good thing. That means you’re getting a good immune uptake and you’re going to get that high level of protection.”
Myth #3: The vaccines can change your DNA.
The approved coronavirus vaccines use messenger RNA, or mRNA. This technology teaches the body’s cells to make a harmless piece of the “spike protein” found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That triggers an immune response that produces antibodies, protecting against COVID-19 infection.
But mRNA vaccines don’t interact with a person’s DNA.
“One thing I hear that people are concerned about is that it’s going to impact their DNA, and I can see why people would make a connection like that,” said Nicole Iovine, chief epidemiology officer at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. “But there are a number of reasons why that can’t happen.”
For one, our DNA is protected by a membrane that prevents things from passing through easily, she explained. “This messenger RNA just goes into the outer part of our cell, called the cytoplasm. And it doesn’t enter into the nucleus, so it doesn’t have access to our DNA.”
Also, messenger RNA doesn’t even stick around in our cells for very long, Iovine added.
Myth #4: The COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should get the COVID-19 vaccine, although there have not yet been trials done specifically in that population.
The same goes for women who are considering getting pregnant. Experts stress that there is absolutely no evidence that getting vaccinated causes infertility. That’s a lie often spread by anti-vaccination activists about various vaccines, Yancey said.
In fact, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 could be really important for moms and their babies.
“I think one of the things that isn’t being talked about is the potential benefit to fetuses and babies,” said Linda Eckert, an obstetrician-gynecologist and infectious disease expert with UW Medicine in Washington. “There’s antibodies that we anticipate will cross through the cord blood, to the baby, and offer some protection. And also that it should pass through breast milk and offer protection.”
Eckert added that the lack of trials on pregnant women and COVID-19 vaccination isn’t a sign that researchers are necessarily concerned that they will be unsafe for that population. It’s simply because such trials have long excluded expectant women.
“The lack of data is not an indication that we’re worried about harms; the lack of data is an indication of systems and assumptions that are long-standing and that I hope are going to be reexamined,” she said.
Myth #5: You don’t have to get vaccinated if you’ve already had COVID-19.
The CDC says that anyone who has had COVID-19 and recovered (and otherwise qualifies for vaccination) should be offered the vaccine — although the agency adds that reinfection is unlikely in the first 90 days, so it may make sense to wait a few months.
In part, that is because there are still a lot of questions about how long natural immunity lasts, as well as how robust it is. But the evidence shows the vaccines are very good at prompting a significant immune response.
“When you get the vaccine, because you’re just making the immune response to the part of the spike protein — which is the target for preventing infection — your immune response is entirely focused on responding to just that key part of the virus. So you get this really, really strong, really focused response against the right part,” Iovine said. “That’s why people who have had COVID infection should still benefit from the vaccine.”
Myth #6: Once you’ve been vaccinated, you can no longer spread the virus.
Both COVID-19 vaccines take time to be fully effective, because they require two doses spaced fairly far apart: 21 days between doses for the Pfizer vaccine and 28 days for Moderna’s. Even after the second booster shot, full immunity isn’t immediate. Trials measured the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine at preventing symptomatic spread seven days after the second dose, and 14 days after the second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
So individuals who have already rolled up their sleeves need to take all the usual precautions in the meantime.
Furthermore, it’s not yet clear whether the vaccines prevent individuals from spreading the virus to others. Right now, data only shows that they’re very effective at preventing the person who has received both doses from developing serious symptoms. That means it’s possible that a fully vaccinated person might be exposed to to the coronavirus, become infected without any outward symptoms, and then pass the virus along.
Therefore, it is crucial that public health measures like mask-wearing, hand-washing and social distancing remain in place.
Myth #7: Severe reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are common.
It’s alarming to hear that individuals have had severe reactions to COVID-19 vaccination, but the percentage of people who have had those responses is low. In late December, the CDC said it was looking at about 21 cases of anaphylaxis (a life-threatening immune response) after more than 1.8 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been given out.
“At this point, to get a severe allergic reaction to this vaccine would be less than a 1-in-a-million chance,” Yancey said. “And compare that to a virus that if you get it, you have a 1 in 30 chance of dying and probably a 1 in 10 chance of lingering side effects for many months.”
More mild allergic responses are possible within four hours of getting the shot, the CDC says. And the agency urges anyone who has had allergic responses to other vaccines to talk to their doctor about what this means for COVID-19 vaccination. It also states that everyone, regardless of their health background, should be monitored by their physician for at least 15 minutes after they receive a dose.
Myth #8: You should wait until you can choose the exact type of vaccine you’d like.
Iovine said she has been regularly fielding questions from patients who are wondering whether they should pick the Moderna vaccine over the Pfizer vaccine or vice versa.
But it’s really a myth that there is any significant difference between the two at this point — or that people should wait for one over the other.
“We don’t distinguish between them, because they seem to behave the same,” Iovine said. “So whatever you’re offered, you should absolutely get it.”
Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.
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