Born on this day!! Singer Judy Collins is 81. Actor Stephen Macht (“Suits,” ″General Hospital”) is 78. Singer Rita Coolidge is 75. Singer-bassist Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams is 74. Actor Dann Florek (“Law and Order: SVU”) is 69. Singer-songwriter Ray Parker Junior is 66. Actor Byron Stewart is 64. Actress Maia Morgenstern (“The Passion of the Christ”) is 58. Actor Scott Coffey (“Mulholland Drive,” ″The Outsiders”) is 56. Country singer Wayne Hancock is 55. Actor Charlie Schlatter (“Diagnosis Murder”) is 54. Country singer Tim McGraw is 53. Bassist D’Arcy Wretzky (Smashing Pumpkins) is 52. Director Wes Anderson is 51. Actress Julie Benz (“No Ordinary Family,” “Dexter”) is 48. Singer Tina Campbell of Mary Mary is 46. Actor Darius McCrary (“Family Matters”) is 44. Actor Jamie Dornan (“Fifty Shades of Grey”) is 38. Actress Kerry Bishe (“Argo”) is 36. TV personality Abby Huntsman (“The View”) is 34. Actress Lizzy Greene (“A Million Little Things”) is 17.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1707 – The Act of Union joined England and Scotland to form Great Britain.
1931 – The Empire State Building opened in New York City. At 102 stories, it would be the world’s tallest building for the next 41 years. Click to see the current tallest.
1941 – Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane, considered by many the greatest film ever made, premiered in New York.
1948 – The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was established with Kim Il Sung as president.
1960 – The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane over Soviet territory.
1967 – Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu. (They divorced in 1973.)
1991 – 44-year-old Texas fireballer Nolan Ryan hurled his seventh and final no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. That same day, Oakland’s Rickey Henderson broke Lou Brock’s stolen base record.
2003 – President Bush made a speech aboard an aircraft carrier proclaiming “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”
2009 – For the first time in 341 years, a woman is appointed as poet laureate of the United Kingdom. Carol Ann Duffy, 53, will take over the post from current poet laureate Andrew Motion.
Today Is: Amtrak Day, Batman Day, Dandelion Day, Executive Coaching Day, Global Love Day, Hug Your Cat Day, International Workers Day, Keep Kids Alive! Drive 25 Day, Law Day, Lei Day, Loyalty Day, May Day, May One Day, Mother Goose Day, National Bubba Day, National Purebred Dog Day, New Homeowner’s Day, School Principals’ Day, Silver Star Banner Day, Skyscraper Day, Space Day, Stepmother’s Day, School Lunch Hero Day, Tuba Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – McGyver / 9:00 – Magnum PI / 10:00 – Blue Bloods
NBC – 8:00 – Blacklist / 9:00 – Dateline NBC
ABC – 8:00 – Shark Tank / 9:00 – 2020
FOX – 8:00 – Friday Night Smackdown
CW – 8:00 – Charmed / 9:00 – Dynasty
TV Talk Shows
James Corden: Liv Tyler, Norman Reedus, Blackbear (R 3/5/20)
Live with Kelly and Ryan: TBA
Ellen DeGeneres: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Wendy Williams: Brian Balthazar, K. Michelle (R 1/30/20)
The Real: Marques Houston, Wyclef Jean
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Remind you of anyone YOU know?? New secret footage shows gorillas “singing, eating and farting!!!” (Sounds like a family reunion!!!)
QUESTION: NO BEACHES, but what IS essential in Cali?? Liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries, Tinder, and now.. PLASTIC SURGERY!!!!!!!!???
QUESTION: BREAKING NEWS?? A Spanish TV anchor did his newscast from home.. and a NAKED WOMAN walked behind him!!! (NOT his girlfriend!!)
QUESTION: Is our nightmare OVER?? Starbucks says they will open a “significant” number of stores starting NEXT WEEK!! Take that, coronavirus!!!!!
QUESTION: How would you like to confront THIS guy in your living room?? It happened to Eminem while his security napped! At least the guy wore a mask!!
Emmys Going Virtual
The Daytime Emmys will take place during a virtual ceremony later this year. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said in a press release Wednesday that it will produce a remote event for the Daytime Emmy Awards due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Sports Emmys, News & Documentary Emmys, and awards for achievement in television Technology & Engineering will also have at-home virtual ceremonies because of the health crisis. “While it appears unlikely that officials would even permit these large-crowd events to be held this year, it is also clear that there will be a lag of time between being permitted to have an event and being able to provide an environment in which all attendees feel safe and comfortable attending it,” NATAS president Adam Sharp said. “Ultimately, a single person-to-person transmission resulting in serious infection would be devastating evidence of mistaken judgment in proceeding,” he added. The virtual ceremonies will feature nominees and presenters via remote video. Dates for the events will be determined following the nomination announcements for the Daytime Emmys in May and the News & Documentary Emmys in the summer.
*******This just makes it that much easier to completely ignore them!!
*******Isn’t the whole point of an award to be honored in front of your peers??
*****Given the average age of the Academy, (really OLD!) they should probably never leave their houses, anyway!!
Another Jeopardy Flub!
“Jeopardy!” fans were shocked on Wednesday when a contestant mistook Janet Jackson for Ariana Grande. Fans are often dedicated and unforgiving when it comes to contestants making obvious mistakes during regular play. The most recent gaffe happened during the night’s broadcast when contestant Alwin Hui buzzed in on the category “Billboard Music Artists” for $800. In a video clip from the episode posted to the show’s official YouTube channel, contestants are given the clue, “As the recipient of the 2018 Icon Award, she took ‘control’ & took to the stage in her first live TV performance in nearly a decade.” That’s when Hui quickly buzzed in and guessed “Ariana Grande.” “Nope,” Trebek responded bluntly before another contestant buzzed in with the correct answer, Janet Jackson. Given the fact that the two popular artists came up 27 years apart and that a video clip of Jackson was played along with the question, Twitter users who tuned in for the game show were quick to lambaste Hui for the error. Yahoo Entertainment reports that both Jackson and Jeopardy were briefly trending on the social media platform as a result.
*******Wow. That was quite an “Escapade!!”
*****When asked to comment, Janet said it was “Nasty!!”
******We’re just glad the correct answer wasn’t “Shaka Zulu!!”
Britney Spears Burned Down Her Gym
Britney Spears made a shocking confession on Instagram on Wednesday, sharing that she burnt down her gym when she left candles out. “Hi guys, I’m in my gym right now. I haven’t been in here for, like, six months because I burned my gym down, unfortunately,” Spears said. “I had two candles and, yeah… one thing led to another and I burned it down.” She revealed that she only has two pieces of equipment left, but she created the video to show off her workout “during this time.” Spears proceeded to workout, performing some minor weightlifting, leg workouts and yoga. She also addressed the fire in the video’s caption. “It was an accident …. but yes …. I burnt it down,” she wrote. “I walked past the door to the gym and flames BOOM !!!!!!” Spears said that her alarm went off shortly after “and yippy hoorah nobody got hurt.” She finished the post by adding: “Pssss I like working out better outside anyways !!!!” See the post HERE.
********We TOLD her not play with fire!!!
*******Who in the hell burns candles while they work out?? Anyone??
******Sounds like she’s the biggest dumbbell in the gym!!!
UPDATE: This is the THIRD candle fire for Britney!! Get the story HERE!!
Kevin Bacon Wants To Play Joe Exotic
Kevin Bacon revealed that he’s willing to play Joe Exotic in the event a movie based on Netflix’s breakout docuseries hit “Tiger King” is ever made. He has been binge-watching the documentary about the former Oklahoma zookeeper, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage. Speaking Wednesday on the “Today Show,” host Al Roker asked if Bacon would be interested in playing Joe Exotic in a potential movie. “Sure I’d play Joe Exotic in a second,” the actor confessed. “It’s funny because before that even came out, I said to my wife, you know, she said, ‘Why are you watching that show?’ I said, ‘This is an amazing show’ and I said, ‘The reason that I’m watching this show is because these are the kind of characters that I get asked to play and, to me, documentaries are way better.’” He added: “So listen, fingers crossed, if you could put in a good word for me Al, I’d appreciate that.” Bacon was on-hand during his “Today” appearance to promote his “Six Degrees” organization, which helps feed frontline workers who are helping people amid the coronavirus pandemic. “I think our country has been incredible — you look at the numbers, at the way people have shown generosity during this very, very difficult time… We come away with gratitude,” he added.
*******When people say, “You remind me of Joe Exotic,” is that a compliment??
*******Dog the Bounty Hunter wants to play Carole Baskin!!!
Tom Hanks Makes Plasma Donation
Tom Hanks revealed on social media that he donated blood plasma at a Los Angeles hospital in an effort to help fight the coronavirus. “Here’s last week’s bag of plasma. Such a bag!” he wrote on Instagram. “After the paperwork, it’s as easy as taking a nap. Thanks @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx.” He and his wife Rita Wilson were both diagnosed with the novel virus back in March while Hanks was filming his upcoming movie in Australia, and the pair have been open about their recovery process since. “We have not only been approached, we have said, ‘Do you want our blood? Can we give plasma?’ And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine,” Hanks recently said on the podcast “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” See the post HERE.
*******Tom should write a book about the novel coronaviurs. It would be called the “coronavirus novel!!”
******Now that he’s given plasma, his fans want him to donate a kidney!!
******And the sperm bank has been calling night and day!!
Tiffany Haddish Zoomed From The Bathroom
Tiffany Haddish appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday where she told Ellen about her unfortunate introduction to Zoom. “You were in a meeting on Zoom. How in the world did this happen? Explain what you did because you seem like you would have figured this out before you made this mistake,” Ellen said. Haddish didn’t mind recalling the incident, saying, “I thought whoever is on the front thing is all you can see. I thought I ain’t gonna say nothing, but I gotta use the restroom.” “I didn’t want to leave the meeting either, so I took the phone with me because I didn’t know you could scroll over and everybody could see everybody. I didn’t know,” she said. She continued, “I took it with me, started using the bathroom and they were like, ‘Tiffany, um, you know we know you’re in the restroom, right?'” “I was like, ‘Y’all can see me!?'” the star said. “Needless to say, I sold that show. I sold the show.”
********The show is called, “Tiffany Takes a Pee!!”
****It’s bad manners to go in the bathroom while on Zoom! It’s like saying: “Look at ME!! I’ve got TOILET PAPER!!”
*****TMZ would pay a fortune for that video!!
Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!
Channing Ditched Jessie For Online Dating!-(National Enquirer)
“Magic Mike” hunk Channing Tatum couldn’t conjure up the right potion to save is relationship with songbird Jessie J! The two parted in December because they couldn’t find time in their busy schedules for each other-but when they reunited in February, they found that being together wasn’t as enchanting as they’d hoped. “They just realized they didn’t work together,” a source spilled. “There was no nasty showdown or bitterness.” Insiders snitched that the time Channing had alone after his nine-year marriage to actress Jenna Dewan ended in 2018 made the “Logan Lucky” star realized he loved playing the field! Channing, 40, is already active on Raya, a private, members-only dating app popular with celebs. “He just needs to move on and sample the dating scene,” the source said. “Things just naturally ran their course!”
Jane’s Plain About Boredom!-(Globe)
Jane Fonda’s never endured boredom a day in her 82 years? Seems not. “I have a lot of inner resources,” says the “Barbarella” babe, “and one of them is that I don’t mind being alone. And that I don’t get bored.” So what’s the actress doing to keep herself entertained? “I read two papers every day,” she reveals. “In my hand, materially-I need to hold the pages. I do that every morning before I work out,” she says, adding: “I watch ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ ‘Better Things,’ ‘Homeland.’ I started to watch ‘Tiger King’ and was disgusted.” You growl, girl!
Matthew & Cheryl: The Honeymooners-(Us Weekly)
This time last year, Matthew Lawrence and Cheryl Burke were preparing for their May 23 wedding. Now, like everyone in the country on lockdown, the pair are experiencing “a different type of stress,” the dancer, 35, says. Burke has been diamond painting with her All That Glitters club, while Lawrence, 40, has been bonding with the couple’s reptiles. “It does test quite a few things,” Burke adds, “but we’re getting along great.”
A Milestone Moment-(Star)
Aberdeenshire, Scotland, April 8
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall went to the dogs in a newly released photo to honor their 15th wedding anniversary on April 9. The royal couple shared the spotlight with Jack Russell terriers Bluebell and Beth in the celebratory shot, taken at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate. Charles, 71-who inherited the Scottish retreat from his grandmother, the Queen Mother, in 2003-and Camilla, 72, have fond memories of the 18th-century home, where they spent their honeymoon in 2005 and often stay during the summer. His Royal Highness’ favorite Birkhall offerings include the River Muick and the expansive grounds, which the passionate gardener has called “a special place.”
It’s Alex Trebek’s 36th Jeopary! Anniversary!-(Life & Style)
Alex Trebek has beaten the odds. It’s been more than a year since the Jeopardy! Host was first diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Just 18 percent of patients generally survive past the 12-month mark. But Alex’s premiere as the host of Jeopardy! aired on Sept. 10, 1984-meaning he’s months away from celebrating his 36th anniversary on the popular quiz show. The new season, the syndicated series’ 36th, is reportedly set to kick off on Sept. 21. “He’ll be back,” assures a source, echoing a sentiment the presenter has said himself. “As long as I can walk out, and greet the audience and the contestants, and run the game,” muses Alex, “I’m happy.”
Deborra-Lee Furness & Hugh Jackman: Happy Anniversary!-(People)
The actor, 51, and his wife, 64, celebrated 24 years of marriage on April 11. “These 24 years have been the best of my life! And, as far as I can see, we keep getting better. I love you Debs with every fiber of my soul,” Jackman posted.
Last Laughs-(In Touch)
“Ben Affleck joked that his child stardom was the reason Matt Damon started acting because Matt was ‘incredibly jealous.’ No word on whether Matt considered quitting acting after seeing Gigli.”-Paul Lander.
“M.C. Hammer celebrated his 58th birthday-and released a new sing, ‘U Can’t Touch Anything.’”-Seth Meyers.
“Meghan Markle narrated a new Disney+ documentary about elephants. She was great in Suits-I can’t wait to hear her in Trunks!”-David Spade.
“Tiger King star Joe Exotic has filed a $94 million lawsuit from prison. His former tigers had no sympathy, saying, ‘Sucks to be in a cage, dude-we get it!’”-David Spade.
STUPID NEWS
Sponge Record
An Idaho man took 43 hits to the face with wet sponges to break a Guinness World Record while social distancing. David Rush, who has broken more than 100 Guinness records to promote STEM education, went outside into the middle of his Boise street with Jonathan Hannon to attempt the unusual record. Hannon threw 54 wet sponges in the allotted 30-second time period, 43 of which successfully collided with Rush’s face. The 43 hits were enough to break the previous record of 36 in the category of most wet sponges thrown in 30 seconds (team of two). Rush said safety was paramount during the attempt: “There is also no evidence that COVID-19 has ever been spread by a thrown wet sponge,” he said. See the video HERE.
********Until now!!!
Vet Removes Fork From Dog
A veterinary clinic in Australia shared video from the unusual case of a golden retriever puppy that swallowed a 4-inch-long metal fork. The Adelaide Animal Emergency & Referral Center said owners Michael and Elise Pitt contacted the clinic Monday to report their dog, Dustin, may have swallowed an entire fork while raiding a dinner plate. Dr. Matt Woodruff, a veterinarian at the clinic, said he was shocked when he saw the X-ray photos of the fork lodged in Dustin’s esophagus. “If I didn’t have my training, I would’ve been concerned that someone had doctored the photo,” Woodruff told 7News. The veterinary team was able to use an endoscope to remove the fork through Dustin’s mouth. “It was surprising, the first time I’ve seen a dog eat a utensil,” Woodruff said.
********If the doctor hadn’t gotten it out, that dog would have been forked!!
TOPIC: The weirdest thing your dog ever ate!!!
Face Masks Spill On Highway
Drivers passing through a California freeway faced a slight traffic jam Wednesday after an individual littered hundreds of face masks on the side of the road — and some people stopped to pick them up. The California Highway Patrol in Hayward received a call Wednesday afternoon that an unidentified man driving a white pickup truck on Interstate 880 dumped boxes of medical masks in the southbound lane. It is unclear exactly how many were strewn on the highway, but KPIX-TV in San Francisco estimates that hundreds of face masks — as many as 1,000 — were left on the road. The masks may have accidentally fallen off the man’s truck. “Multiple individuals stopped and stepped out of their vehicles to pick up masks,” wrote the Hayward CHP in a Facebook post Wednesday.
********Sounds like a cover up!!!
*******All you needed was a truck full of toilet paper to show up, and you would have had a riot!!
******People are covering their face.. but they still can’t keep their mouths shut!!
Criminals Using Pizza Delivery For Drugs
Criminal gangs are using fast-food couriers to deliver recreational drugs to people confined at home because of coronavirus lockdowns, policing agency Interpol said Thursday. Cocaine, marijuana, ketamine and ecstasy are among the drugs being moved in pizza boxes or other takeaway containers in countries including Ireland, Malaysia, Spain and Britain. The agency issued a “purple notice” to warn its 194 member agencies of “this new modus operandi” involving couriers using bikes, motorcycles or cars. With drug buyers and their dealers under lockdown along with the rest of society in many countries, some drivers are using this time to make a quick buck, while in some cases dealers simply posed as couriers. Others were unwitting mules. “In one Malaysian case, a food delivery rider in the Gombak district of Kuala Lumpur contacted police and asked for his food package to be inspected after he became suspicious,” Interpol said. “The rider had been tasked with delivering a single order of Indian flatbread yet the parcel weighed approximately 11 kilogrammes (20 pounds).” In Spain, seven people posing as delivery drivers were arrested in Alicante and Valencia after drugs were found concealed in the false bottoms of home delivery backpacks.
********The McDonald’s delivery dude had a “Big CRACK and side of fries!!”
*******One driver had a pound of pot and 500 bags of Doritos!!
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: TOTO’S AFRICA PLAYED WITH “ANIMAL CROSSING” CHARACTERS.
VIDEO: FATHER AND DAUGHTER RECREATE BEETLEJUICE SCENE (JUST 2 OF THEM)
A LIST FOR FRIDAY
8 Songs That Have Taken Off During Social Distancing
Rolling Stone
- R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”
The alt/indie heroes’ sardonic and frenetic ode to a frazzled planet, all of 33 years old, jumped a whopping 110 percent in streams for a total of 5.6 million during the March to April period. Was it the line about a “tournament of lies” or the line “Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped”? Capitol T, anyone?
- The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
Forty years after its release, the song’s original message – mutual lust between a teacher and one of his female clients – took a back seat to its hooky chorus and newly relevant context. The song saw a 508 percent increase in song sales and an 81% increase in streams (3.4 million during this period).
- Joy Division’s “Isolation”
Another far lesser known song from 1980, but its early-Eighties synths are no match for the repeated drone of the title. While its total streaming number (298,000) aren’t huge, that number represented a 112 percent increase; those streams doubled starting March 6th, the first week of the lockdown.
- Andra Day, “Rise Up”
The singer’s anthem of empowerment and renewal, first released five years ago and partly inspired by watching a friend grapple with cancer, connected anew to a huge audience. Its uplifting lyrics, like “We gonna walk it out/And move mountains,” has newly resonated with audiences, pulling in 13 million streams for a 307 percent spike in sales.
- Tears for Fears, “Mad World”
The images populating the band’s 1983 track — “worn-out places, worn-out faces,” “children waiting for the day they feel good,” “went to school and I was very nervous” — were written decades before the coronavirus. But they could have been written this spring, which likely explains why the song’s sales doubled from March 13th through April 23d.
- Mariah Carey, “Hero”
Carey’s 1993 ballad, which she also performed at the 9/11 tribute concert in New York, was reborn as a salute to health care workers around the country: “And then a hero comes along/With the strength to carry on/And you cast your fears aside/And you know you can survive.” The result was a 75 percent increase in song sales and streams of over 1.7 million.
- Carole King, “So Far Away”
“It would be so fine to see your face at my door/It doesn’t help to know you’re so far away,” King sings on her landmark Tapestry album. No wonder the track saw a 74 percent jump in sales. In late March, King released a video that included a portion of the song with revamped lyrics: “Everybody has to stay in one place anymore/It would be so fine to see your face at my door/Doesn’t help to know /You’re just time away.”
- The Five Stairsteps, “O-o-h Child”
When it was first a hit in 1971, this soothing pop hymn implied a brighter day after war and improved civil rights. These days, its lyrics – “Someday, we’ll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun/Someday when the world is much brighter” – are equally potent and applicable. Although the song has been covered by everyone from Nina Simone to Hall & Oates to Kamasi Washington, the original version by the Chicago family soul group saw a 72 percent increase in sales and 3.2 million total streams.
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.
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