Born on this day!! Comedian Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) is 88. Actor Christina Pickles (“The Wedding Singer,” ″St. Elsewhere”) is 87. Actor Brenda Fricker is 77. Actor Becky Ann Baker (“Girls,” ″Freaks and Geeks”) is 69. Actor Rene Russo is 68. Actor Richard Karn (“Home Improvement”) is 66. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is 60. Comedian Larry the Cable Guy is 59. Director Michael Bay (“Transformers,” “Armageddon”) is 58. Singer Chante Moore is 55. Guitarist Tim Mahoney of 311 is 52. Actor Dominic Purcell (“Prison Break”) is 52. Actor Denise Richards is 51. Singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day is 50. Drummer Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters is 50. Actor Jerry O’Connell is 48. Country singer Bryan White is 48. Actor Kelly Carlson (“Nip/Tuck”) is 46. Actor Conrad Ricamora (“How To Get Away With Murder”) is 43. Actor Jason Ritter (“Kevin (Probably) Saves the World,” ″Joan of Arcadia”) is 42. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 41. TV personality Paris Hilton is 41. TV co-host Daphne Oz (“The Chew”) is 36. Actor Chord Overstreet (“Glee”) is 33. Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is 31. Actor Sasha Pieterse (“Pretty Little Liars”) is 26.

THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY

1600 – Italian philospher, alchemist, and Copernican theory advocate Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for heresy by the Inquisition.
1801 – The electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr was broken by the House of Representatives who elected Jefferson president.
1817 – Baltimore became the first U.S. city lit by gas.
1864 – The Confederate submarine Hunley, equipped with an explosive at the end of a protruding spar, rammed and sank the Union’s ship Housatonic off the coast of Charleston, S.C.
1904 – Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly premiered in Milan.
1972 – President Richard Nixon left on his trip to China.
1996 – Chess champion Garry Kasparov beat the IBM computer, Deep Blue, winning the six-game match.
2008 – Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.

Today Is: Analog to Digital TV Day, My Way Day, National PTA Founders Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, World Human Spirit Day

TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)

CBS – 8:00 –  Young Sheldon  8:30 – United State AI / 9:00 – Ghosts  /  9:30 – B Positive  /  10:00 – Bull
NBC – 8:00 – Winter Olympics
ABC – 8:00 –  Jeopardy College Championship / 9:00 – Grey’s Anatomy  /  10:00 – Big Sky
FOX – 8:00 – Joe Millionaire  /  9:00 – Call Me Kat  /  9:30 – Pivoting
CW – 8:00 – Walker   /  9:00 – Legacies

TV Talk Shows

Jimmy Fallon: Pre-empted
Seth Meyers: Pre-empted
The Talk: Sheila E.
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Jesse Williams, Brian Kelly
Ellen DeGeneres: Mark Wahlberg
The Real: Diggy Simmons

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

QUESTION: Does it seem like good-looking friends NEVER GET SICK? Research shows it’s true: attractive people have STRONGER IMMUNE SYSTEMS!

 

QUESTION: Prince Andrew settled for HOW MUCH?? New reports say it’s closer to $20 MILLION! Folks wanna know: WHERE’S THE MONEY COMING FROM?

 

QUESTION: Love at first sight? He saw her on a bus, and “couldn’t let her go!!” He slipped a note, she called, they dated, and NOW THEY JUST GOT MARRIED!!

 

QUESTION: What does the letter “F” stand for?? It’s not FOOTBALL!!! The L.A. Rams let the foul language fly at their SUPER BOWL VICTORY RALLY!!!!!

QUESTION: STILL want to get that COOL SCULPTING? Linda Evangelista tells PEOPLE she’s “tired of hiding” the botched procedure!!! (It ADDED fat!!)

Bon Jovi Looking For An Opening Act

Bon Jovi has launched a new contest that will allow local bands to open for them on their upcoming U.S. tour.  Local bands can upload an audition video featuring original music to Bon Jovi’s official website for a chance to open for the group.  One local band will be selected for each tour date.  Bon Jovi’s 2022 tour will be kicked off on April 1 at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., before it is wrapped up on April 30 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.  The tour also includes stops in Milwaukee, Tampa, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dallas and more.
****Van Halen used to do this. The local band comes up, gets booed off the stage, and then Bon Jovi gets a standing ovation!!
****In L.A., “local band” Guns N’ Roses has the inside track!!

Prince Charles’ Charity Money Raises Eyebrows

Authorities are investigating Prince Charles’ charity and its cash-for-honors scandal involving a former aide.  On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police tweeted it is looking into alleged offenses under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925.  “The decision follows an assessment of a September 2021 letter,” their statement read. “This related to media reporting alleging offers of help were made to secure honours and citizenship for a Saudi national.”  “The Special Enquiry Team has conducted the assessment process which has included contacting those believed to hold relevant information,” the statement shared. “Officers liaised with The Prince’s Foundation regarding the findings of an independent investigation into fundraising practices. The Foundation provided a number of relevant documents.”  “These documents have been reviewed alongside existing information,” the statement continued. “The assessment determined an investigation will commence. There have been no arrests or interviews under caution.”   According to The Prince’s Foundation, Michael Fawcett resigned. Charles’ Clarence House Office also announced it would no longer use the services of Fawcett or his party planning company, Premier Model.  Fawcett, Charles’ former valet, stepped down from the charity role temporarily in September and an independent investigation was launched after the Sunday Times newspaper reported the allegations.  His resignation came after the Mail on Sunday published a letter from 2017 in which Fawcett reportedly wrote that he was willing to make an application to get businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz an honorary knighthood and support his application for citizenship in response to “the most recent and anticipated support” for the charity.
*******Next to the Clintons, these people are amateurs!!! (true)
********Eyebrows were raised when the Prince’s Foundation made a grant to Prince Andrew to help “defray the costs and embarrassment of being a sex trafficker!!”
*******The Saudi national is from the “Owada” tribe.. so he wants his title to be “Owada Knight!!!”

Bob Saget’s Family Blocks Release Of Materials

Bob Saget’s family filed a lawsuit Tuesday attempting to block officials from releasing further information regarding his cause of death “in order to protect” their “privacy,” one of the family’s attorneys said. The lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County, names Orange County Sheriff John Mina and the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office.  “In order to protect the Saget family’s privacy, today on their behalf, I filed for an injunction to prevent the disclosure of any photographs or videos of Mr. Saget made by the authorities during their investigation,” Brian Bieber, an attorney representing the Saget family said.  “The facts of the investigation should be made public, but these materials should remain private out of respect for the dignity of Mr. Saget and his family,” the statement continued. “It’s very simple — from a human and legal standpoint — the Saget family’s privacy rights outweigh any public interest in disclosure of this sensitive information.”  The “sensitive information” includes photographs, as well as video and audio recordings, according to the lawsuit.  The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Saget’s widow Kelly Rizzo and his three daughters, said the release of this information would cause “irreparable harm in the form of extreme mental pain, anguish and emotional distress” to the family.  Saget was found dead in his hotel room in Orlando, Florida, Jan. 9^th.
*****This whole situation doesn’t sniff right. At least, that’s what Joe Biden said!!
*****Kinda looks like he invited someone to the room, and they bashed him in the head.. and the family doesn’t want you to know!!

Tom Hanks Son Opens Up About Famous Family

In YouTube video Chet Hanks has shared what it was really like growing up as the son of actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.  He said that while he grew up very “blessed” with parents he loves, the unique experience was a “double-edged sword.”  “There’s a lot of advantages but sometimes it can be pretty weird,” he said. “I got to do a lot of cool s–t that a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do. I got to travel the world, stay in nice hotels, fly on private planes and I’m very blessed for that. I wouldn’t change my situation.”  But he also reflected on how people’s infatuation with fame can brew a lot of “jealousy” and “envy.”  “My experience was even more complicated because on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous,” Chet said. “I was just the son of somebody famous so I hadn’t even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition and that created a lot of contempt.” He noted that after he attended the same school for preschool through middle school, things got worse when he entered a new crowd in high school and college. Chet added, “People kinda did f–k with me a lot growing up. It was never to my face. It was always behind my back in the forms of gossip or s–t talking.”  Holding a mirror up to the man he once was and the man he is today, Chet shared that it took a long time for him to learn that “people’s perception of you is only a reflection of themselves.” He has now “changed” his “life” and is no longer on the “self-destructive” path of “anger” and “partying.”  See the video HERE.
********We know a few kids of famous people.. and it really isn’t easy!
*******Although.. that’s no excuse for Chet!!!
*****When your dad plays Mr. Rogers AND Forrest Gump, you’re kinda screwed!!!
UPDATE: Chet says he didn’t have a “strong male role model??” Hanks for nothing!!

Kanye West Apologizes For Hate Posts

Kanye West took to Instagram on Tuesday to reflect on his recent public statements after deleting all of his posts.  “I’ve learned that using all caps makes people feel like I’m screaming at them,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself on stage, his first post since he wiped his account. “I’m working on my communication. I can benefit from a team of creative professionals, organizers, mobilizers and community leaders. Thank everybody for supporting me.”   Referencing his posts that appeared to feature screenshots of his alleged text exchanges with Kim Kardashian, he added, “I know sharing screen shots was jarring and came off as harassing Kim. I take accountability. I’m still learning in real time. I don’t have all the answers. To be good leader is to be a good listener.”   In a series of since-deleted messages, Ye issued public pleas asking Kim, who filed for divorce last year, to reconcile, with one reading, “GOD PLEASE BRING OUR FAMILY TOGETHER.” He also targeted her boyfriend Pete Davidson on social media (having already appeared to diss the Saturday Night Live star in his music) by calling him a “dickhead.”  Still, Ye insisted “I DON’T HAVE BEEF WITH KIM” and that he has “FAITH THAT WE’LL GET BACK TOGETHER.”
*******When you see Pete Davidson out with a new hottie.. that’s when Kim will take Kanye back!!

 

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

Mike Meyers Desperate for a Comeback! – (Star)

Whatever happened to Mike Meyers? The comedy genius behind Wayne’s World, Austin Powers and Shrek used to command $20 million a movie. But after the disaster that was 2008’s The Love Guru and dogged by his rep as a diva, he all but disappeared from Hollywood. Now, with his six-part series The Pentaverate coming soon to Netflix, sources tell Star the 58-year-old is hoping to redeem himself. Behind the scenes, however, little has changed. “This was Mike’s chance to change other people’s perception of him, but he was still prickly and cool around the set,” says an insider. “Everyone walks on eggshells around him. Behind the facade, Mike is a very insecure and antisocial guy. He’s known as a total diva. It just doesn’t pay to annoy him.. ever.”

West Side Zegler is Totally Toxic – (The Globe)

Newly Hollywood minted West Side Story star Rachel Zegler, 20, stepped into the late Natalie Wood’s shoes for Steven Spielberg’s flop remake – then walked into a social media minefield by mocking Britney Spears! “If you’re still making fun of Britney Spears in 2022 you’re a piece of shit. Grow up,” fumes a fan. Zegler deleted the clip,  hits kept coming, with a Britney fan turning toxic, “She took someone’s trauma and did a weird-ass monologue for her own pleasure.”

Meghan and Harry: Fired? – (In Touch) 

The deals helped secure their freedom. “Netflix and Spotify were never part of the plan.. That was suggested by somebody when my family literally cut me off financially,” Prince Harry explained last year of his and wife Meghan Markle’s partnerships with the streaming services in late 2020, in exchange for a combined $130 million that would help them officially break ties with the royal family. “All I needed was enough money to be able to pay for security.” But so far, they haven’t done much to earn their massive paycheck. “The Sussexes have been all talk and no action,” a source says of the pair, who moved into a $14 million Montecito mansion and welcomed baby Lilibet last June. But they’ve only completed a 34-minute holiday special through Archewell Audio for Spotify, and nothing for Netflix. “Of course, everything slowed down for the pandemic, but they signed the Netflix deal 15 months ago and they’ve produced no content,” adds the source. “Harry and Meghan are under pressure to deliver – there’s talk they could be fired!”

 

STUPID NEWS

Guy Caught With Skeleton In Carpool Lane

The Washington State Patrol said a driver using the high-occupancy vehicle lanes on a highway was stopped when a trooper realized the driver’s only passenger was a plastic skeleton wearing a hoodie.  Trooper Rick Johnson, a WSP public information officer, said on Twitter that a trooper spotted the vehicle with the faux-passenger traveling in the HOV lanes of southbound Interstate 405 in the Coal Creek area.  Johnson shared a photo showing the passenger buckled into the front seat of the vehicle was a plastic skeleton disguised with a hooded sweatshirt.  Johnson said drivers in HOV lanes must have at least one human passenger, capping his Twitter post with “#gottabealive.”  See the pic HERE.
*********Plastic skeleton?? You mean Tori Spelling is dead??
*******Actually, the traffic was so bad, that passenger was ALIVE when he got on the freeway!!
********One advantage to being married: you can use the HOV lane!!!

Baptisms Invalid!

An Arizona priest resigned from the Diocese of Phoenix after officials announced a single changed word invalidated all the baptisms he performed until June 2021.  The Diocese of Phoenix said all baptisms performed by the Rev. Andres Arango until June 17, 2021, were invalid because the priest said “we” instead of “I” when reciting the phrase, “I baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit.”  The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith clarified in 2020 that sacraments using the word “we” are invalid.  “The issue with using ‘we’ is that it is not the community that baptizes a person, rather, it is Christ, and him alone, who presides at all of the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptizes,” Diocese of Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said in a letter to congregants.  Arango resigned from the diocese effective Feb. 1. The diocese said Arango remains a priest in good standing.  “It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula. I deeply regret my error and how this has affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere,” Arango said in a statement on the diocese’s website.
********Are all those people GOING TO HELL????????
*****If they’re being baptized by Jesus, shouldn’t the priest say, “HE baptizes you in the name of….” ??? You’re right. That doesn’t make sense.
****Don’t worry.. Jesus came to clean up all of mankind’s stupid mistakes!! He’s got this. 

Minivan Fills With Snow

A Massachusetts man who left the sunroof on his family’s minivan open in 63-degree weather returned to the vehicle two days later to find it filled with about 9 inches of snow.  Steve Maguire of Scituate said he and his family took a ride in his wife’s minivan on Saturday with the windows down to enjoy the record high temperatures in New England.  “Saturday was so beautiful I’m like, ‘I’ve got to get some of the kids out of the house,'” he told WBZ-TV. “It was 63 degrees here.”  Maguire said he didn’t realize until returning to the vehicle on Monday that he had left the sunroof open, allowing about 9 inches of snow to accumulate inside.  “When I opened the van, I’m thinking it’s Valentine’s Day,” Maguire told WFXT-TV. “It’s my wife’s car. This is not going to end well. I came in and said, ‘I hope you’re in a good mood because there are about nine inches of snow in the van.'”  See the video HERE.
********Cops thought he was smuggling blow!!
*******Turn the A/C up and see how long you can keep it frozen!!!

Record Strawberry

An Israeli farmer earned a Guinness World Record when he harvested a massive strawberry that weighed 10.19 ounces.  Guinness said Ariel Chahi, whose family owns the Strawberries in the Field business in Kadima-Zoran, Israel, holds the record for the world’s heaviest strawberry after his enormous fruit weighed in at 10.19 ounces, beating the previous record of 8.82 ounces.  The strawberry is of the Ilan variety, which was first bred by Nir Dai, a researcher from the Israel’s Agricultural Research Organization.  Dai, who was among the witnesses at the weighing of Chahi’s strawberry, credited the strawberry’s size to unusually cold temperatures in January and February.  “The strawberry developed slowly for more than 45 days from flowering, which caused its large size at full ripening stage,” Dai told Guinness.
********The last time we saw a strawberry that big, it was growing next to Chernobyl!!!!
*****Scientists have ordered a 30-foot shortcake!!!

 

STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL

VIDEO: THE COMMODORE 64 TRAINING VIDEO.

VIDEO: FLOCK OF BIRDS SUDDENLY FALL FROM THE SKY IN MEXICO.

 

A LIST FOR THURSDAY

 

8 Signs You’re In A Toxic Friendship (And What To Do About It)

HUFFINGTON POST

 

1. You act like a worse version of yourself around them.

The friends we choose to surround ourselves with should enhance our lives and push us to grow as people. If you find your friend brings out the worst in you, then it could be a sign the relationship is toxic.

“If as a result of your friendship, you find yourself engaging in behaviors that you regret later such as being self-destructive, being mean to others or engaging in illegal or immoral activities, then it would be best to terminate this toxic friendship,” Mahzad Hojjat, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and author of “The Psychology of Friendship,” told HuffPost.

 

2. You feel emotionally drained by them.

Healthy friendships have a sense of balance and reciprocity. You don’t need to keep score because you both feel you’re getting back what you’re putting in. Sure, there may be seasons in a friendship when one person needs a lot more than they can give because they’re dealing with a loss, health issue or other crisis. But when friendships are heavily lopsided, with one person doing a lot more taking than giving over the long term, that’s another story.

“Toxic friendships cross boundaries and sink into a pattern of taking more energy than they give,” said Sarah Spencer Northey, a marriage and family therapist based in Washington, D.C.

“Are you feeling like you are helping your friend more than they are helping themselves? Do you feel like their therapist where the emotional support only goes one way? Does this friend support you maintaining your boundaries so that you can take care of yourself and not give from your emotional reserves?” she asked. “These are some questions that may help you determine whether or not this relationship is worth the energy.”

 

3. The friendship feels transactional.

Toxic friends have no qualms about sucking you dry emotionally or financially. They expect you to buy whatever MLM product they’re currently hawking. They have a habit of “forgetting their wallet” when you go out to eat. And when they finally do something nice for you, you realize it’s only because they’ve already found a way you can return the favor.

“Red flags include repeatedly trying to sell you products, making you feel like an ATM by repeatedly asking for money or keeping close tabs on favors — [like] ‘You have to dog-sit for me because you borrowed my car,’” said Boston University clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen, author of “How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety.”

“These friends routinely cross the line between friendship and business, which can leave you feeling used.”

 

4. They repeat information you asked them not to share.

You confide in this person, only to discover that the private information you shared with them — and specifically asked them not to divulge — is now known by other friends you never discussed it with. If it happens once, you could chalk it up to a miscommunication or one-off mistake. But if it becomes a pattern, it could be an indication there’s a toxic dynamic at play.

“When a friend spills information that was only meant for her ears, that’s a sign that she either didn’t truly understand the confidential nature of the information shared, she doesn’t respect you, or she’s sharing the ‘insider info’ for her own benefits,” said Suzanne Degges-White, professor and chair of the department of counseling and higher education at Northern Illinois University.

 

5. They’re not supportive of your romantic relationships.

If you’re in a healthy romantic relationship, you’d expect your friends to be supportive — not secretly trying to sabotage it or push you apart. When an issue comes up with your partner, a genuine friend will offer a sympathetic ear for your concerns, but still encourage reconciliation at the end of the day, Northey said. A toxic friend may use it as an opportunity to drive a wedge between you.

“A true friend wants to see you thrive in a happy relationship,” she said. “A toxic friend, on the other hand, may fan the flames when you are venting, encouraging your negative thoughts and feelings to escalate and endure. A toxic friend may even encourage behaviors that harm your relationship.”

Asking yourself the following questions can help you discern whether you’re caught in a toxic friendship pattern, Northey said.

“Does your friend listen with a balanced perspective when you are venting, or do they match or even exceed your intensity?” she said. “Do they follow your lead when you have let go of a conflict with your significant other, or do they hold on to the memory and drama of a conflict with that person longer than you do?”

 

6. You don’t feel like you can speak your mind, so you walk on eggshells around them.

A toxic friend may use manipulation tactics in order to get their way — including guilt-tripping you, playing the victim, minimizing your feelings or lashing out when you disagree with them.

Always afraid of setting them off, you start to walk on eggshells around this friend. After a while, it becomes hard to tell if they’re the problem or if you are.

“It’s really hard to pinpoint what’s happening when you’re the target of manipulation, but there are clues,” Hendriksen said. “Your friendship may feel unnecessarily complicated. You second-guess yourself a lot and wonder if you’re crazy or overreacting. You have to thread a needle around your friend’s emotions or arguments.”

 

7. You don’t trust them anymore.

Trust is the cornerstone of any healthy relationship. Without it, a friendship can’t survive. Perhaps this person has burned you before by lying to you, turning their back on you when you were going through a hard time or talking poorly about you to mutual friends. You’ve tried to move forward, but they keep giving you reasons to be wary.

“If you have seen clear evidence that your friend has betrayed you in some way and therefore you realize that they do not have your best interest in mind, whether by gossiping behind your back to make you look bad, lying to you or others to advance their own interests, stealing from you, or harming you in any way, it should be clear to you that you cannot trust this person,” Hojjat said.

 

8. You put in almost all of the effort.

Maintaining friendships takes work — and with this friend, you’re the one doing the lion’s share of it. If you stopped checking in with them or asking them to hang out, the friendship would dissolve.

“Take note if you initiate all the plans and are responsible for changing them to suit your friend’s moods and impulses,” Hendriksen said. “Do they leave you hanging at the last minute? Dump complaints on you without offering alternatives or solutions?”

“If you’re doing all the work in the relationship, you’re an employee, not a friend,” she added. “Time to go on strike.”

 

What To Do If Your Friendship Has Become Toxic

Should you tell this person how you’re feeling and see if things improve? Or do you end the friendship now and walk away? That’s up to you.

“Everyone has a different tolerance for a friend’s ‘bad behavior,’” Degges-White said. “And some folks put up with an awful lot of pain if their circle of support isn’t wide enough to catch them if they let go of one friend.”

If you want to salvage the friendship, set up a time to talk to your friend about what’s been bothering you. Use “I” statements that focus on your feelings (e.g. “I feel hurt and confused when I don’t hear from you for a while”) rather than accusatory “you” statements (“You never reach out to me first. You clearly don’t care about me”) that will put them on the defensive. Once you’ve said your piece, be open to listening to what they have to say.

“There has to be a willingness to invest in the friendship by both people or else the conversation just won’t be productive,” Degges-White said.

“Making sure the friend understands that you’re coming from a place of hope and the desire to salvage the friendship is important,” she added.

 

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