Born on this day!! Actor Lee Meriwether is 87. Musician Ramsey Lewis is 87. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 86. Actor Bruce Weitz is 79. Singer Bruce Cockburn is 77. Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater is 72. Actor Richard Schiff (“The Good Doctor,” “The West Wing”) is 67. Singer Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees is 65. Singer-guitarist Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz is 64. Actor Peri Gilpin (“Frasier”) is 61. Actor Cathy Silvers (“Happy Days”) is 61. Comedian Adam Carolla is 58. Actor Todd Bridges (“Diff’rent Strokes”) is 57. Drummer Sean Kinney of Alice In Chains is 56. Actor Dondre’ Whitfield (“Queen Sugar”) is 53. Actor Paul Bettany (“The Da Vinci Code,” ″A Beautiful Mind”) is 51. Singer-guitarist Brian Desveaux of Nine Days is 51. Actor Jack McBrayer (“30 Rock”) is 49. Rapper Andre 3000 of Outkast is 47. Rapper Jadakiss is 47. TV chef Jamie Oliver is 47. Actor Ben Feldman (“Mad Men”) is 42. Actor Darin Brooks (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 38. Actor Chris Colfer (“Glee”) is 32. Actor Ethan Dampf (“American Dreams”) is 28. Actor Desiree Ross (“Greenleaf”) is 23.

THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY

1647 – The first recorded execution of a witch reportedly took place in Massachusetts when Achsah Young was hanged.
1703 – St. Petersburg was founded by Czar Peter the Great.
1936 – The Queen Mary left England on its maiden voyage, arriving in France four hours later.
1937 – Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opened.
1941 – British ships sank the German battleship Bismarck off the coast of France, resulting in the loss of 2,300 lives.
1994 – Nobel-prize winning dissident, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia after 20 years in exile.
1996 – After a year and a half of bloodshed, Russian President Boris Yeltsin met with the leader of the Chechen rebels and negotiated a cease-fire.
1999 – Slobodan Milosevic was indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague for crimes against humanity.

Today Is: Cellophane Tape Day, Don’t Fry Day, Heat Awareness Day, Joe Cool Day, National Cooler Day, National Polka Day, National Road Trip Day, National Title Track Day, National Wig Out Day

TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)

CBS – 8:00 –  Come Dance With Me  /  9:00 – Magnum PI  /  10:00 – Blue Bloods
NBC – 8:00  – Blacklist  /  9:00 – Dateline NBC
ABC – 8:00 –  Together As One  –  9:00 – 2020
FOX – 8:00 – Friday Night Smackdown
CW – 8:00 –  Charmed  /  9:00 – Dynasty

TV Talk Shows

Jimmy Fallon: Rachel Dratch, Bashir Salahuddin, OneRepublic
Seth Meyers: Miley Cyrus, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey (R 5/16/22)
James Corden: David Arquette, Nick Thune, Jackie Kashian (R 1/24/22)
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Matthew Modine
Ellen DeGeneres: Courteney Cox, Chris Martin, Coldplay (R 1/26/22)
The Real: The hosts answer viewer questions
Drew Barrymore: Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner, Cedric the Entertainer, Pilar Valdes (R 9/17/21)

WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!

QUESTION: When your dad’s lying in the hospital, where do you go?? Meghan Markle went to WHERE THE CAMERAS ARE, as she visits the school shooting site in Texas.

 

QUESTION: How did the tragic Texas school shooting claim ANOTHER VICTIM?? The husband of one of the hero teachers just DIED FROM A BROKEN HEART……….

 

QUESTION: How did this man suddenly develop AMNESIA?? It happened after he had afternoon sex with his WIFE!!! (This usually happens after sex with a mistress!!)

 

QUESTION: Which movie got a 12-MINUTE STANDING OVATION at the Cannes Film Festival?? Baz Luhrman’s “ELVIS,” and star Austin Butler had a hip-thrusting good time!!

QUESTION: Did Ellen CRY during the taping of her last show?? Is the Pope a Catholic tequila-drinker??? She got CHOKED UP as she sent the love “back to her fans!!”

Ray Liotta Dead

Ray Liotta, an actor best known for his starring role in mafia film Goodfellas, has died at the age of 67.  He died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic where he was working on a new film, titled Dangerous Waters.  He leaves behind 23-year-old daughter Karsen Liotta, who is an actress. Liotta was engaged to be married to Jacey Nittolo.  Liotta famously portrayed real-life gangster Henry Hill opposite Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, from director Martin Scorsese.  Liotta is also known for starring as baseball star Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams opposite Kevin Costner. Other roles include Something Wild, Cop Land, Killing Them Softly, Blow and many more.  Television roles included starring in Apple TV+’s Black Bird with Taron Egerton, a recurring role on Amazon’s Hanna and starring opposite Jennifer Lopez in NBC’s Shades of Blue.  He most recently starred in Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark and Marriage Story. Liotta was also known for voicing lead character Tommy Vercetti in best-selling video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
*********R.I.P., Henry Hill!!!

Jeff Bridges Health Scare

Jeff Bridges says he came “pretty close to dying” from COVID-19 amid his battle with cancer.  He recalled in the June 6 issue of People how he survived COVID-19 after undergoing chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  Bridges announced in October 2020 that he was diagnosed with lymphoma.  In the new interview, Bridges said he had chemotherapy by infusion and oral chemo to treat his tumor, which weakened his immune system. The actor then tested positive for COVID-19 in January 2021.  “I had no defenses. That’s what chemo does — it strips you of all your immune system. I had nothing to fight it,” he said. “COVID made my cancer look like nothing.”  Bridges spent nearly five weeks in the hospital as he fought the virus.  “I was pretty close to dying. The doctors kept telling me, ‘Jeff, you’ve got to fight. You’re not fighting,'” he said. “I was in surrender mode. I was ready to go. I was dancing with my mortality.”  Bridges received convalescent plasma as part of his treatment and “started taking baby steps” toward his recovery.
********Who actually thought “The Dude” would outlive Ray Liotta??

Kevin Spacey Charged In Sexual Assault

British prosecutors have charged embattled actor Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexually assaulting three men in the U.K.  The Crown Prosecution Service said Thursday that the charges against the award-winning actor “follow a review of evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police.”  Spacey was also charged with “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent,” the agency said.   The alleged incidents took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, and one in western England in April 2013. The alleged victims are now in their 30s and 40s.  Rosemary Ainslie, head of the service’s Special Crime Division, said the charges follow a review of evidence gathered by London’s Metropolitan Police.  Spacey was questioned by British police in 2019 about claims by several men that he had assaulted them.  He ran London’s Old Vic Theatre between 2004 and 2015.  His career came to an abrupt halt in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused the star of assaulting him at a party in the 1980s, when Rapp was a teenager.
*******Is Kevin Spacey so strong that these guys couldn’t resist?? Just askin’….
*****We’re gonna go out on a limb and say his career is pretty much over!!
*****Why would a famous guy assault someone when all he has to do is say, “Please??”

Meghan Markle Slammed By Sister

Samantha Markle slammed her half-sister, Meghan, for allegedly neglecting their elderly father as his health continues to decline. Earlier this week, Thomas was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a major stroke that left him unable to speak. Meghan is not expected to visit him.  In an appearance on Dan Wootton Tonight, Samantha accused her sister of “elder abuse” for “watching and doing nothing” to help their father through his ongoing health issues.  “He’s been through so much,” she continued. “Two heart attacks, a pandemic and now a stroke. None of us have heard from Meghan – that’s negligence.”  Samantha also claimed she doesn’t believe their father will live much longer and if Meghan doesn’t choose to mend their relationship, she will “have to live with that [decision] for the rest of her life.”  “If she can’t find it in her heart, or have the moral conscience to step forward, then shame on her,” she told the host, later adding, “She sees all of this. I’m getting the feeling that I would be spinning my wheels to try and appeal to her heart now.”  Samantha broke the news of her father’s latest health scare in a statement shared on Tuesday, May 24.  “My father is recovering in hospital. We ask for privacy for the family, for his health and well-being. He just needs peace and rest. Godspeed. We are praying. He just needs some rest,” she explained. “It’s a travesty how much he’s been tortured and how much he’s had to go through thanks to my sister’s disregard the past few years. That is unforgivable.”
*********He’s not dead yet… but he IS dead to Meghan!!
******She’s a duchess now… not a suitcase model!! She doesn’t need losers slowing her down!!

Joe Rogan Show Episodes Missing

Fans have pointed out that dozens of episodes of Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” have disappeared from Spotify this week — which the platform has attributed to a digital glitch.  “Spotify is aware of this technical issue, and we are looking into it now,” a Spotify spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times. The disappearance was revealed by JRE Missing, an automated watchdog that keeps tabs on Rogan’s episodes.  Per the site, the glitch affected a whopping 36 episodes, which were reportedly recorded before the podcast purveyor acquired the show — including its catalog of past episodes — in 2020 for an estimated $200 million.  Naturally, the phenomenon might seem suspect given Spotify’s history of surreptitiously deleting “JRE” episodes over controversial content.  However, the latest batch seemed to have been Houdini’d at random as they featured a grab bag of guests, including Republican Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, former Democratic Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, as well as musicians Post Malone and Everlast; and comedians Eddie Izzard and Bryan Callen, the LA Times reported.
*********It’s probably a warning shot: “see what we can do??”
******It’s Spotify’s version of a horse’s head in the bed!!!
*******Joe’s like a magician!! His “lies” turn into “facts” after a few months!!

 

Ripping The Tabloids (Throughout the week, we’ll give you the stories from that weeks tabs!)
**Please Credit Publication!

Jen & Johnny:  The Truth About the Rumors!-(In Touch)

She’s on Team Johnny!  Just days after Johnny Depp and ex Amber Heard’s $100 million defamation trial began in Fairfax County, Va., Jennifer Aniston-who’s never worked with Johnny-started following him on Instagram, seemingly signaling her support for the actor, who Amber claims sexually assaulted her.  “Some are even wondering if Jen and Johnny were involved.”  Unlikely.  Amber-the Aquaman actress, 36, did not list Jen when naming all of the women Amber believes Johnny had a relationship with. (The list includes Keira Knightley, Marion Cotillard, Angelina Jolie, Ellen Barkin, Ashley Olsen and Kate Moss, among others.)  If Amber thought something had gone on with Jen, she would be on the list,” says an insider close to the trial.

 

STUPID NEWS

Monkeys On The Loose In Georgia

Authorities in Georgia are warning members of the public to be on the lookout for two patas monkeys on the loose in a county near Savannah.  The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office said deputies recently received a call reporting two monkeys on the loose.  “It sounded like a scene from Jumanji but it was not. There are in fact, two patas monkeys on the loose in North Effingham,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.  The monkeys are legally owned by an Effingham resident, the sheriff’s office said.  The Georgia Department of Natural Resources was contacted to help capture the loose primates.  “We ask that you do not try and catch them. Although they are not believed to be dangerous, they are wild animals, and we cannot predict how they will respond if cornered,” the sheriff’s office said.
*********Put the banana down and back away slowly!!!
*******They can always go to the local tavern and blend in…
*****They’re one chromosome away from being full-fledged rednecks!!

Snake Rescued From Tree

Firefighters in Alberta were called out to perform an “unusual animal rescue” when a resident’s 6-foot snake escaped and climbed 15 feet up a tree.  Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said in a Facebook post that personnel from Fire Station 26 responded to a residential neighborhood on a report of a pet snake stranded in a tree.  Firefighters said the snake, named Whiskey, had escaped from its owner and climbed to a tree branch about 15 feet off the ground. The rescuers used a ladder to reach the serpent and bring it safely back to the ground for a reunion with its owner.
********What is a snake doing in a tree? There’s no toilet up there!!

Bear Breaks Into Garage

A California sheriff’s office shared video of a black bear that broke into a resident’s garage and “helped him/herself to dinner.”  The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said the bear broke into the garage in North Lake Tahoe after apparently being drawn in by the smell of food.  The sheriff’s office posted a video to Facebook showing the bear eating the food it took from the garage in the front yard of the home.  “Whether you are a local or own a vacation home, please remember to keep your car and home doors always locked, and most importantly, do not leave ANY type of food/wrappers out,” the post said.  The bear left on its own after finishing the meal.  “Fortunately, no one was hurt by this hungry bear,” the sheriff’s office said.  See the video HERE.
*********He’ll be back in the morning for “bear claws!!!”
*******What’s the greatest nation on earth? HIBER-nation!!!

Florida Man Claims A Ghost Did It!

A Lakeland man was arrested after telling deputies no one was in his home, despite lights turning off and “movement” being heard from inside, Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.  Deputies said they arrived at the home in Lakeland after receiving a tip about April Gonzalez, 29, who had a warrant out for her arrest.  When they reached the house, a man, Jonathan Fowler, 29, left the home and locked the door behind him, according to PCSO. Deputies said Fowler told them no one else was home, and he wouldn’t allow them inside without a warrant.  According to the PCSO’s Facebook page, “That seemed very peculiar given the way in which he quickly locked and closed the door. Even peculiarer (sic) was how the lights began shutting off inside the ‘empty’ residence and movement could be heard coming from within. Must have been termites…or earwigs. Ghosts, maybe.”  Deputies said they began calling for Gonzalez over their P.A. system, though that didn’t garner any response. However, deputies said when they brought out one of their K9 deputies, Fowler admitted that Gonzalez was inside the home.  According to deputies, they made their way into the home and were finally able to arrest Gonzalez. Fowler was also arrested and faces charges for resisting an officer without violence.
********So… what happened to the ghost???

 

STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL

VIDEO: MIKE MEYERS RE-WATCHES SOME OF HIS FAMOUS SCENES.

 

A LIST FOR FRIDAY

10 Moves That Will Make Your Credit Score Soar

THE PENNY HOARDER

 

1. Stay on Top of Your Credit Reports

About 1 in 5 credit reports contain inaccurate information. Make sure you access your reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com, rather than one of the many websites that make you put down your credit card number to sign up for a trial. File a dispute with the bureaus if you find anything you think is inaccurate or any accounts you don’t recognize.

Your credit reports won’t show you your credit score, but you can use a free credit-monitoring service to check your score. (No, checking your own credit doesn’t hurt your score.) Many banks and credit card companies also give you your credit scores for free.

2. Pay Your Bills. On Time. Every Single Month

Yeah, you knew we were going to say this: Paying your bills on time is the No. 1 thing you can do to build good credit. Your payment history determines 35% of your score, more than any other credit factor.

Set whatever bills you can to autopay for at least the minimums to avoid missing payments. You can always pay extra if you can afford it.

A strong payment history takes time to build. If you’ve made late payments, they’ll stay on your credit reports for seven years. The good news is they do the most damage to your score in the first two years. After that, the impact starts to fade.

3. Establish Credit, Even if You’ve Made Mistakes

You typically need a credit card or loan to build a credit history. (Sorry, but all those on-time rent and utility payments are rarely reported to the credit bureaus, so they won’t help your score.)

But if you have bad credit or you’re a credit newbie, getting approved for a credit card or loan is tough. Look for cards that are specifically marketed to help people start or rebuild credit. Store credit cards, which only let you make purchases at a specific retailer, can also be a good option.

4. Open a Secured Card if You Don’t Qualify for a Regular Card

Opening a secured credit card is one of our favorite ways to build a positive history when you can’t get approved for a regular credit card or loan. You put down a refundable deposit, and that becomes your line of credit.

After about a year of making your payments on time, you’ll typically qualify for an unsecured line of credit. Just make sure the card issuer you choose reports your payments to the credit bureaus. Look for a card with an annual fee of no more than $35. Some secured card options we like (and no, we’re not getting paid to say this):

• Discover It Secured
• OpenSky Secured Visa Card
• Platinum Secured from Capital One

Looking for the perfect New Year’s Resolution? Sign up for our Credit Card Debt Bootcamp, and we’ll hook you up with tutorials that will help you get your credit back on track.

5. Ask for a Limit Increase. Pretend You Never Got It

Increasing your credit limits helps your score because it decreases your credit utilization ratio. That’s credit score speak for the percentage of credit you’re using. The standard recommendation is to keep this number below 30%, but really, the closer to zero the better.

If you have open credit, ask your current creditors for an increase, rather than applying for new credit. That way, you’ll avoid lowering your length of credit, which could ding your score.

The downside of a higher credit limit: You’ll have more money to spend that isn’t really yours. To get the biggest credit score boost from a limit increase and avoid paying more in interest, make sure you don’t add to your balance.

6. Prioritize Credit Card Debt Over Loans

Tackling credit card debt helps your credit score a lot more than paying down other debts, like a student loan or mortgage. The reason? Your credit utilization ratio is determined exclusively by your lines of credit.

Bonus: Paying off credit card debt first will typically save you money, because credit cards tend to have higher interest rates than other types of debt.

7. Keep Your Old Accounts Active

Provided you aren’t paying ridiculous fees, keep your credit card accounts open once you’ve paid off the balance. Credit scoring methods reward you for having a long credit history.

Make a purchase at least once every three months on the account, as credit card companies often close inactive accounts. Then pay it off in full.

8. Apply for New Credit Selectively

When you apply for credit, it results in a hard inquiry, which usually drops your score by a few points. So avoid applying frequently for new credit cards, as this can signal financial distress.

But if you’re in the market for a mortgage or loan, don’t worry about multiple inquiries. As long as you limit your shopping to a 45-day window, credit bureaus will treat it as a single inquiry, so the impact on your score will be minimal.

9. Still Overwhelmed? A Debt Consolidation Loan Could Help

If you’re struggling with credit card debt, consolidating your credit card debt with a debt consolidation loan could be a good option. In a nutshell, you take out a loan to wipe out your credit card balances.

You’ll get the simplicity of a single payment, plus you’ll typically pay less interest since loan interest rates tend to be lower. (If you can’t get a loan that lowers your interest rate, this probably isn’t a good option.)

By using a loan to pay off your credit cards, you’ll also free up credit and lower your credit utilization ratio.

Many debt consolidation loans require a credit score of about 620. If your score falls below this threshold, work on improving your score for a few months before you apply for one.

10. Keep Your Credit Score in Perspective

All the credit-monitoring tools out there make it easy to obsess about your credit score. While it’s important to build good credit, look at the bigger picture. A few final thoughts:

• Your credit score isn’t a report card on the state of your finances. It simply measures how risky of a borrower you are. Having an emergency fund, saving for retirement and earning a decent living are all important to your finances — but these are all things that don’t affect your credit score.
• Lenders look at more than your credit score.Having a low debt-to-income ratio, decent down payment and steady paycheck all increase your odds of approval when you’re making a big purchase, even if your credit score is lackluster.
• Don’t focus on your score if you can’t pay for necessities. If you’re struggling and you have to choose between paying your credit card vs. paying your rent, keeping food on the table or getting medical care, paying your credit card is always the lower priority. Of course, talk to your creditors if you can’t afford to pay them, as they may have options.

Focus on your overall financial picture, and you’ll probably see your credit score improve, too. Remember, though, that while credit scores matter, you matter more.

 

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.
© 2022 – Radio Genius Show Prep